Her Piece of the Past
by miixaoo
Summary: Four years after the bitter break-up, Miley was finally happy with her life. Until she returned to the place where it all started.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first attempt at writing a detailed story. The story just came to me one day and I kinda let my mind wonder from there, so be nice… **

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**Her Piece of the Past**

**The day that the love of her life shattered her heart into a million pieces was the day she decided to give up being Hannah Montana and vanish from the Hollywood scene. She picked up what was left of her life and moved away from the city that held so many memories. It's now been four years since that fateful day and Miley was finally happy with the life she lived.**

**She had the cutest baby girl that anyone has ever seen.**

"_Momma!" Nikki cried while waddling towards her mother._

"_Hey baby girl," Miley said, bending down to pick up her daughter._

**She was in a healthy relationship with the guy she loved.**

"_Hey beautiful," he said wrapping his arms around her waist._

"_I love you Ryan," she whispered as she fell asleep in his arms._

**She had the one friend she could always turn to for help.**

"_He never deserved you," Ashley told Miley as she held a wrinkly picture in her hand._

**But what happens when Miley follows Ryan back to California**

_Ryan took a deep breath, breaking the news to Miley. "My job is moving me to California."_

"_Oh," was all Miley could say at the time._

"_I want you to come with me," Ryan said as he got down on one knee, pulling out a tiny box. "Miley, will you marry me?"_

**And has a surprising encounter with the one guy she tried so hard to avoid.**

"_I want you to meet my fiance," Ryan said as he stepped to the side, bringing Miley face to face with the one guy she thought she would never see again._

**Will Miley be able to leave her past behind and focus on her new life? Or will the memories come flooding back, bringing even more heartache?**

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**So what are you thinking? Good story… not a good story? Is it like the other ones you've read? Oh and who do you think that one guy should be?**


	2. Chapter 2

**No matter how hard I wish… I will never own the Jonas Brothers or Miley Cyrus. It's a shame really… But oh well… hope you guys like the first chapter!**

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**Chapter 1**

It was a typical Saturday night for Miley as she sat on her couch in her two story, Victorian style home. She was enjoying the very rare time when she was able to have a little peace and quiet to think. Her eyes scanned all the pictures hanging on the walls of her warmly furnished living room. Pictures of her family and friends stared back at her while she sat, silently thinking how different life would be if she had continued being Hannah Montana. The once pop princess of the Disney Corporation, who was a role-model to all the young girls in America.

There was never a day that passed where Miley didn't think of the life she once lived, the glitz and glamour of it all. Sure she missed performing in front of all her loyal fans, but there was only one screaming girl she lived for now. She sighed as she looked at the pictures of her daughter and wondered where the time had gone.

She slowly made her way upstairs and stopped at her daughter's doorway, silently watching her sleep. Nikki was the very reason she gave up the crazy lifestyle of a celebrity, but she never regretted having her. As each day passed, Nikki started to resemble her father a little bit more. Every time Miley looked into her big brown eyes, it felt as if he was staring back at her. The little toddler was the constant reminder of the life Miley tried so hard to forget. However, she was the one piece of the past Miley was glad to have in her life.

Her past - to her it seemed like a century had passed since those days, but it had only been four years. Four long years. Her life had changed drastically in those four years.

She had left her family behind to start over in a place where no one knew the pain she was in, cutting off all ties to the ones she loved, except for a select few. Her family had been resentful of her decision at first, but her parents knew she wouldn't be happy staying in a place that held so many memories for her. Her brothers and sisters couldn't understand why she could leave them because one guy had broke her heart. But after a lot of family talks, they learned to let her go, hoping that she would find the happiness she was searching for and one day return to them.

Her best friend Emily was the one person who didn't hate her for her decision. She understood why Miley had to leave, and often came visit once every couple of months. There was only one other group of people Miley kept in touch with. She saw them as her second family. They were always there for her when she needed them, and that's why she knew she couldn't cut them out of her life. It wouldn't be fair to them. For the rest of her friends, she left without a word, hoping they would forgive her one day.

She gave up her music and vanished from the public eye. She knew her fans would resent her, but she had to do what she had to do. She knew she couldn't raise a child, while the public watched her every move. So she went on one last tour, secretly saying goodbye to her fans, and was never seen again. Hannah Montana disappeared from the fame almost instantly, but Miley wasn't as lucky. It took some time, but she slowly started to fade away and was finally forgotten by the world when the next big thing came along. It hurt her to know she was giving up on her dreams that she worked so hard for, but she knew she had bigger responsibilities to tend too.

Finally, she left behind the one guy whom she loved with all her heart. Like most teenagers, they had rushed things because they were so in love. As a result of their bad judgment, their relationship fell apart. But she wasn't the one who ended things because she always believed they were made for each other. In the end, she knew she couldn't stay after he had given up on their relationship. She never told him she was carrying his child, and deep down inside she knew it was the best thing for him. He had a whole life ahead of him, full of many opportunities that a child would keep him from. So she decided that she would be a single mother at the age of 18, raising the child he would never know.

She decided to move back to her hometown. Nashville, Tennessee. She had left this town over six years ago, to pursue her dream. Most of her childhood friends had already moved on with their lives and left Nashville. But even with the familiar things gone, she knew it was the one place she could run too. She started over, rebuilding her life one step at a time. Meeting new people in those four years, who helped her bounce back and learn to live again.

Ashley soon became one of her best friends. She knew all about Miley, but then again where could she go that no one knew of her? Amish country? Ashley was there from the beginning. She was the one who helped Miley slowly get over her heartache and become somewhat the "old" Miley again. She was the one friend Miley turned to whenever she experienced a blast from the past, and no matter how many times Miley ran to her crying, she was always ready to listen.

It was a chance meeting with Ryan. He somehow turned into the one guy who was always there for Miley. He was with her when she bought her house, he helped her buy her first car, and he was even at her side when Nikki was born. Although Miley had given up all hope on love after having her heart stomped on by the one guy she least expected to hurt her, she slowly let herself fall in love with Ryan. The way he treated Nikki like she was his own flesh and blood made her heart melt. She knew he could never fully replace her first love, but he filled up most of the empty space in her heart. She could picture spending the rest of her life with Ryan.

Miley came out of her daze when she heard Nikki stirring in her sleep. She smiled to herself as she watched her three year old daughter toss and turn. She slowly made her way to her room, glancing at a picture of Ryan and Nikki sitting on her bedside table before she collapsed on her bed. Even though it had been four years since she last talked to him, she couldn't help but wonder what the father of her child was doing at that very moment and if he was happy.

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**I know it was probably boring. But it was a background chapter so you guys could see why Miley decided to move and how her life was now. She is 22 in this story.**

**Can you guys guess who the mystery guy is yet?**


	3. Chapter 3

**So to all of you who guessed it was Nick… you were right. I think Niley is the cutest couple ever… even if they aren't a couple.**

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**Chapter 2**

Nick was sitting on his bed, thinking about nothing in particular. He had just returned from another sold out tour and was glad for the break. He loved his brothers and performing with them, but spending months on a bus with the two of them was wearing his patience thin. But he knew he was truly blessed with all the success the band had had in the last couple of years, and was thankful for the bond the three of them shared. Even though they both tend to push his buttons the wrong way, he knew he wouldn't be living the life he loved without them. Nick was starting to zone out, when Joe walked into his room unannounced.

"Mom said to get ready for dinner, the Cyrus' invited us over," and with that he turned on his heels and walked out of the room, leaving Nick to his thoughts.

Nick knew she wouldn't be there. She hasn't been there for the past four years, but a part of him wished she would come back to California… to him.

"_Miley where are you?" I cried out desperately looking all over for her. Her father would kill me if I let anything happen to his baby girl._

"_I'm over here," I heard her say before she suddenly popped up from behind a rock._

_I ran over to her, wrapping my arms around her. "Are you ok?" I asked. But I knew the answer to that question. She had ran out of the house the moment she heard the news that her pappy had passed away, tears streaming down her face._

_She nodded her head slightly, trying to keep herself from crying again. That's when I knew that I had fallen in love with my best friend. It broke my heart to see her so sad, so I decided that no matter what, I would try my hardest to protect her from experiencing more pain._

_We were both sitting in the sand, watching the sunset in silence. I didn't know if this was the right time to do what I was about to do, but I had to tell her. "Miley," I said softly, drawing her attention away from the water. She looked at me with those big blue eyes, glistening with tears making my heart melt even more. "I love you." _

_I was starting to panic when she didn't respond to what I had told her. I knew it wasn't the best time. I wanted to apologize to her for being inconsiderate of her feelings, I knew she was going through a tough time and didn't need even more drama. But before I could even gather up the courage to look at her, she wrapped her arms around me saying the words I had been waiting to hear._

"_I love you too," she whispered, sending chills down my spine as I hugged her tighter, never wanting to let go.  
_

Nick sighed as he got up from his bed, getting ready for dinner. He walked downstairs to meet the rest of his family, leaving all thoughts of Miley behind.

-No One's POV-

The doorbell rang as Tish rushed to welcome her guests. "It's been too long," she exclaimed, hugging the Jonas family as she ushered them to the family room.

"How was the tour?" Billy ray asked the boys as they sat down on the couches. He glanced at Nick, knowing that he was the reason his baby girl had left home. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to resent that boy.

"It was great," Kevin answered. Joe nodded in agreement, while Nick was off in his own little world.

"Dinner's ready," Brandi called from the dining room.

With that, the two families made their way over to the table. Nick sat in his usual seat, glancing to his right, half-expecting Miley to be sitting there smiling at him. But to his disappointment, Miley's place had been given to Josh, Brandi's fiancé.

After dinner they all retreated into the living room to catch up on the last six months.

-Nick's POV-

I sat by myself in a corner of the room, watching everyone around me. The parents were sitting in the far corner, talking about their children I'm guessing. I glanced over at Joe who was on the phone, most likely talking to Emily. Over the past four years, those two were able to keep their relationship strong. I knew Joe was planning on asking Emily to marry him and I couldn't help but feel envious.

I looked over at Kevin who was sitting with Brandi, Josh, and Cyndi -- his wife. I could almost bet they were talking about married couple things. That was all they ever talked about when the four of them got together.

It was times like these that I was glad to have Frankie and Noah around. They were both only 14, and weren't into the dating stage just yet. Unfortunately Braison had taken both of them out that night, leaving me with all the couples.

I sat, undisturbed, in my corner trying my hardest to keep from thinking about Miley. But that was proving to be difficult since everything around me bought back memories. Remembering all those times we both sat on the couch I was sitting on at the moment, laughing about the most random things. Those were the days when everything was less complicated. We had spent three years of our lives practically inseparable, except for when one of us was on tour. But somehow we were able to keep our relationship strong. That was until the one night we decided to take it to the next level. We had talked about it for some time, and thought we were both ready. It turns out we were wrong, but I never regretted making that decision. I knew she was the one I wanted to take that step with, I just wished we would have waited.

_I had been distancing myself from Miley after that night. I found myself making up excuses to spend less and less time with her. All of our conversations ended up with one of us mad over something the other one said. We spent two months fighting over the littlest things, before I realized that I was slowly pushing her out of my life. Little by little I was causing her heart to break every time I lied to her about being busy or too tired to hang out, breaking the promise I had made to myself over three years ago. Therefore, I had decided to let her go before I caused her too much pain._

At that moment, I couldn't help but wonder what she was up too and if she was happy. I knew I had to be the reason she decided to leave California, despite what everyone tried to tell me. But deep down I knew it was me. I would never forget her face the night I told her I couldn't be with her anymore. I was sure I could hear her heart breaking into pieces when the words came out of my mouth. I knew I owed her an explanation, but for some reason I wasn't able to tell her that she was better off without me and that I was only causing her unnecessary pain. That was the last time I saw her.

I desperately searched the room for something to distract me. It was then that my eye caught a picture I had never seen before. Miley was holding a little girl, around the age of three. It had to be recent because Miley looked older.

"Who's the little girl?" I asked to anyone that would answer me.

"Oh her? She's our baby cousin." Brandi answered. But for some reason, I didn't know if I should believe her. The little girl looked too familiar to be just a baby cousin.

After studying the picture a little longer, I looked up only to find everyone staring at me with nervous looks on their faces.

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**There's chapter 2 for you. Hope you guys liked it. Review and tell me how I'm doing so far or if there's anything I could do to make it better!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

**-Kevin's POV-**

I had felt guilty sitting there, while Nick was so oblivious to the truth. He didn't know that I, along with the rest of the family, had kept in touch with Miley after she left. In fact, we all tried to visit her as often as we could. Nick always thought we were going away for business or just vacation, but the truth was we went to see Miley and Nikki. After all, they was practically apart of the family.

At first I didn't know if I could keep a secret as big as this from Nick. He deserved to know. But we all knew the pain that Miley had been through, and she didn't need more. So after a lot of begging and tears from her, we all agreed to keep Nikki a secret. She says she didn't want to keep Nick from the life he deserved, but I knew she was scared because he thought it was a mistake for them to take that step. But I had faith that one day Miley would tell Nick.

"What are you thinking about?" Cyndi asked, bringing me back from my thoughts.

"Miley… and Nick." I said. "Don't you think he should know?"

"It's not our news to tell Kevin. I know Miley will tell him when she's ready." 

Cyndi was always so reasonable when it came to stuff like this. She had only met Miley in person twice, but they practically knew everything about each other, calling each other at least once a week.

"I know, I just wished she would tell him soon so we can stop keeping this big secret. Do you know how mad he'll be when he finds out we kept it from him for so long?" I asked.

She nodded. "But you have to see where she's coming from, it's hard for her."

I knew she was right, I just wish I could do something to help both of them. I pushed the subject out of my mind, kissed Cyndi on the cheek, and drifted into a restless sleep.

**-Miley's POV-**

I woke up the next morning to the sun shining through the cracks of my curtain. I stretched and got out of bed before checking on Nikki, who was still sleeping peacefully. I decided to make the most of my time and shower before she woke up. After having a kid, you soon learn to plan around their nap times since that was the only time you had to yourself.

I stepped out of the shower, getting dressed quickly, and went across the hall to check on Nikki a second time. I started panicking when I didn't see her in her crib, only to find her downstairs with Ryan. Breathing a sigh of relief, I gave each one a kiss on the forehead.

"You scared me there Ry, I thought someone had taken Nikki."

"Sorry, I decided to make her breakfast since you were in the shower," Ryan replied, while cleaning Nikki up.

I stood back watching him. He was so good to her and me. I didn't know what I did to deserve him in my life. He had helped me from the beginning and I was very grateful to have him. I didn't think that I would have been able to handle everything by myself, and he was more than ready to be a father figure to Nikki. He didn't know about Nick and he didn't push me to tell him. All he knew was that it had ended badly between Nikki's father and I, and that was where he left it.

"By the way, I have to take a trip out to California for a meeting," Ryan said, bringing me back to reality.

"For how long?" I questioned. He was always taking trips somewhere for the record label, so it didn't really surprise me.

"Only for a couple of days, but I was thinking you could come with me."

I didn't know how to reply to that, so I just stood there playing with my hands.

"Come on Miles. You haven't seen your family and I know you miss them. Plus I bet they would love to see Nikki again. They haven't seen her since her 1st birthday." he argued.

I knew he was right. I hate it when he's right. 

"I guess it would be ok." 

I knew I had to go back sooner or later. I had decided not to go to Kevin's wedding last year, and I owed him a visit. Plus, I did miss my family. It was only for a couple of days. I just had to make sure to be extra careful while I'm there.

"Good! We leave tomorrow. I already told your parents we were coming." 

"Well thanks for giving me time to prepare." I said sarcastically. "How were you so sure I would go?"

"Because you love your family." he smiled.

He knew me so well. I smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before taking Nikki upstairs to pack for the trip. I was both excited and nervous for tomorrow to come. I had turned my back on California four years ago, and was scared to see how things had changed. Of course I had stayed in touch with Emily and the Jonas', excluding Nick, but they had always made trips to visit me. This will be the first time I was going back to my past.

**-No one's POV-**

Miley stepped off the plane in California feeling a bit uneasy to be back where it all started. Ryan was following close behind her carrying Nikki in his arms. She took a deep breath and walked out of the terminal, only to be greeted by the faces of her loved ones.

"Miley!" Billy Ray and Tish exclaimed when she walked up to them, embracing her in a hug. "We've missed you!"

"I've missed you guys too," Miley said, hugging all her brothers and sisters before turning to her second family.

"Look how much you've grown since the last time I saw you." Mrs. Jonas was always like a second mom to Miley, claiming that she was the daughter she never had.

Mr. Jonas was already holding Nikki in his arms and commenting on how big she had gotten, while Joe and Kevin made small talk with Ryan.

"How are the ladies treating you Frank?" Miley asked, making Frankie blush before giving Miley a bear hug. 

Miley turned to Emily and they instantly embraced each other in a hug. "I've missed you," they squealed, breaking apart from each other before Miley repeated the process with Cyndi. Only this time they received some strange looks by people around them.

So far, it felt nice for Miley to finally be home again. She never realized how much she missed it here, but she also knew that it wasn't her home anymore. She stood watching her family making a fuss over Nikki and Ryan, her mind drifting off. She couldn't help but wander about the one person who was missing.

**-Nick's POV-**

I was pacing back and forth in the studio, waiting for my 10:00 appointment to show up. I was growing impatient. They were already 15 minutes late. I was eager to get home and find out where my family had vanished too this morning without telling me. I was about to give up hope when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I answered, slightly irritated. 

"You're 10 o'clock appointment is here, Mr. Jonas," my secretary announced. 

"Finally…" I mumbled. I walked around the desk, trying to push all negative feelings out before the meeting started.

"Sorry I'm late. The family kept me longer than I expected." he said, walking through the door.

"It's ok. I understand." I extended my hand, "Nick Jonas."

"Ryan Davis," he replied, shaking my hand.

"OK let's get straight to business." I wasn't in the mood for small talk. "The record called this meeting to offer you a position here in California. I've heard of your work, and couldn't agree more. You would be a huge asset to the branch here. Of course, that would mean you would most likely have to move."

He looked hesitant, "Um… well I'll have to talk it over with someone first before I can give you a definite answer."

"That's fine. Just get back to us as soon as possible." I'm guessing he was referring to his family, and I couldn't help but become jealous of this guy who had his life mapped out. He couldn't have been but a couple years older than me. I once again thought about Miley, wondering if we would have been married with children by now.

"I'll call as soon as I reach a decision," he said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"We'll be waiting," I shook his hand and watched him walk out of the office before sitting down at my desk. I opened the side drawer and took out the framed picture I had kept hidden for the past four years, staring into the eyes of the girl who still had my heart.

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**Dun dun dun… lol. Aww… Nick still loves Miley, but how weird is it gonna be when he finds out that Ryan is romantically involved with Miley? In the infamous words of Joe, "Awkward"**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it took so long for me to update. I was really busy with school and work, plus I went to church like everyday last week since it was Easter and all. But I'm on spring break right now, so I'm hoping I will have time to write a lot more.**

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**Chapter 4**

Miley finished clearing away the last of the dishes left-over from the morning. After hours of reminiscing about the old times with her family and friends, she finally had some time to herself. Kevin and Joe were called to a business meeting at the record company, most likely with Nick. Emily and Cyndi had invited Miley to go shopping with them, but she politely declined claiming that she was tired. Mr. and Mrs. Jonas decided to go home so that she could rest, dragging Frankie with them. Brandi and Josh had some wedding details to attend to and Noah insisted on being included in them, while Braison headed back to college. Billy Ray and Tish decided to take Nikki to the toy store, most likely buying her everything in the store, and Ryan was still not home from his meeting.

She wandered around the house, curious to see if anything had changed. For the most part, everything had changed in the past four years. Brandi's room was now empty, considering she moved in with Josh a couple months back. Braison was away at school and hardly every home, and Noah's room reflected just how much she had grown since Miley left.

After surveying the main house, she gradually made her way over to her old wing of the house.

-Miley's POV-

I took a deep breath before pushing the door to my room open, and was greeted by memories of my youth. Everything was just the way I had left it. I traced my finger along the oak wood furniture, scanning the pictures on my bulletin board. That's when I saw it, a picture of Nick and I.

I stopped at the window facing the house next door, glancing over to the Jonas', and quickly stepping towards the center of the room.

-Nick's POV-

I finally arrived home after my second meeting, only to find Joe had already beat me home. I stepped out of my car and walked towards the front door, glancing at the house next door. It was a habit I had quickly formed soon after Miley left.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw the curtains in the window shift slightly and an outline of a person stepping out of view.

"Could it be?" I asked myself. I took a second glance at the window before pushing the thought out of my mind. "It was probably Tish," I told myself and kept walking to the house.

"I'm home," I called out when I stepped through the door.

"What took you so long frobro?" Joe asked.

"Well Joe, I don't speed like you do." I rolled my eyes, and went upstairs to my room.

"So how was the meeting with our new manager?" Joe asked, walking into my room.

"He didn't give me a definite answer yet. He wanted to talk to his family first." I answered, annoyed by the fact Joe had decided to follow me.

"Well tell mom I'm taking Emily out and going to dinner with Mi-" he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. "with my friends. Yeah, Emily and some of my friends."

"Okay…" I said, giving him a weird look. He was acting really strange, but then again, it was Joe so I just decided not to question it.

-Miley's POV-

I sat on the ground with my back against the bed, worrying about if he had seen me or not. "He couldn't have." I told myself. "At least I hope he didn't"

"Miley?" I heard Ryan call from downstairs.

I got up, taking one last look around the room, and went downstairs to meet Ryan.

"Hey, you're home," I said, as he pulled me into a hug. "How was your meeting?"

"It was good, but I have something to talk to you about." Those words made me nervous. Something inside of me told me that this would not be good.

"What is it?" I questioned, worry written across my face.

He hesitated for a moment, making me worry even more. "Well… the record label offered me a promotion."

"That's great! You definitely deserve it." I cried.

"Thanks, but that's not all the news." He gestured for me to sit down, making me even more nervous than I was before. "The position is here in California, so that would mean that I would have to move here."

I sat there, trying to soak in the news. He would be leaving Tennessee and me. My mind immediately thought of Nikki. Ryan was like a father to her, he was there since she was born. How was she going to react to he news?

"Miley?" he questioned, lightly shaking me out of my trance.

"So when are you moving?" I asked, a little afraid of his answer.

"If I take the job, then I have to be here by next week."

If he takes the job? I was confused. "What do you mean if you take the job?"

"I wanted to talk to you before I accepted the offer. Miley I want you to come with me." I heard him say, as he got down on one knee, pulling out a small box. "Miley, will you marry me?"

I was, at the moment, in complete shock. Did he just do what I think he did? My mind was racing, not sure how to respond. I could only stare at him.

I saw his face fall slightly as he got up. He let go of my hand, feeling defeated.

"I just thought, the past four years were good for us. But I understand-" But before he could finish his thoughts, I did something unlikely.

"Yes." was all I said, pulling him into a kiss filled with passion.

He pulled back, smiling. "You really mean it?"

"No, I just said that to play with you." I said, full of sarcasm. "But, I don't have to marry you if you don't want me too" I said with a smirk.

"Ha, ha" he mocked, before taking my hand in his. I held my breath as he slipped the ring onto my finger.

"It's gorgeous." I said, admiring how it looked on my hand.

-No one's POV-

Just as Ryan was leaning in to give Miley a kiss, Nikki came running into the house with Billy Ray and Tish right behind her.

"Mommy!" she yelled, as she lunged for Miley's legs. "Look at all the stuff papa and mimi bought me!"

"That's great sweetie, but they really shouldn't have. They are going to spoil you." Miley said, giving her parents a look while picking Nikki up.

It didn't take long for Tish she spot the ring on Miley's hand. "Well it looks like Nikki wasn't the only one who got something new today," causing Miley to blush.

Billy Ray followed Tish's gaze and practically yelled, "You're engaged?"

"That's not the only news," Ryan said, taking Nikki from Miley.

"There's more?" Tish questioned, as Miley nodded her head. "Well what is it?"

"Mom, dad. I'm moving back to California." Miley said.

Billy Ray immediately engulfed Miley into a bone crushing hug, before turning to Ryan. "Thank you for bringing my baby back." he said as he gave Ryan a pat on the back. "and welcome to the family."

-Miley's POV-

At dinner that night, I thought about how life would be moving back to California. I watched as Joe was telling Ryan a joke, causing him to laugh hysterically. I smiled at the fact that my _fiancé _got along so well with my family and friends, and I knew that it wouldn't be hard for us to become a family here.

"Miles?" I heard Emily say, breaking me away from my daydream.

I turn to face her. "Yeah Em?"

"Nothing, you just seemed out of it." She had a worried look on her face.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking." I said as I ran my hand through my hair. That's when she saw it.

"Miley? Is that what I think it is?" she said, her eyes glued to the ring. The guys must have overheard us because they stopped talking and turned to see what Emily was making a big deal out of.

I caught Ryan's eye, taking his hand in mine as I broke the news to the couple sitting in front of me. "We're engaged." and before Emily could start squealing, I quickly told them my other news. "And I'm moving back to California."

Just as I predicted, Emily released the loudest "Eeep" I had ever heard before causing the people around us to glance as our table.

"When are you moving back?" Joe asked, a nervous look on his face.

"Well I'm moving at the end of next week, and Miley will follow afterwards." Ryan answered.

Joe caught my eye and I instantly knew what he was thinking.

-Joe's POV-

Miley's engaged? She's moving back? This was all too much to handle. I immediately thought of Nick and how he would react to this. I knew he wasn't over Miley yet. I had desperately tried to set him up on dates over the past couple of years, but every time he said that she wasn't what he was looking for. It's not going to help him that Miley was moving back, and engaged.

_I came downstairs just as Nick was walking through the front door. "So how was your date with Kate tonight?" _

"_It was ok," he replied._

"_So is there going to be a second date then?" I asked, hoping that this one would be different from the rest._

"_I don't think so," he said for what seemed like the millionth time._

"_What was wrong with this one?" I asked, but I already knew the answer._

"_She was an interesting girl and we had a fun time. But I don't see her as anything more than a friend." That was what he said about every girl Kevin and I had tried to set him up with. We had wanted to help him move on from Miley, but he didn't seem to do so willingly. So we eventually gave up trying and let him continue living in the past._

"When are you moving back?" I asked, hoping to have some time to prepare Nick.

"Well I'm moving at the end of next week, and Miley will follow afterwards." Ryan informed me.

I quickly looked over at Miley. "Miles? Can I talk to you?" I said, as I started to get up from the table.

"Sure" she said, as she got up from the table. "What's wrong?" she asked as we stepped outside.

"You know we have to tell him Miley. It's going to be hard to keep it a secret from him when you're going to be living next door again." I could see it in her eyes. She knew I was right, but I could see that she was still scared.

She sighed, "I know that I have to tell him. But I'm not ready."

"Miley, it's been four years. Don't you think it's time?"

Tears were glistening in her eyes, she really wasn't ready. I pulled her into a hug. I hated to see her like this. "I'm sorry Miles. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's not your fault. I will tell him, but I just need time to prepare myself." she said, wiping her tears away.

I nodded. I understood that it wasn't something you just tell a guy the first time you talk to him again after four years. Nick was strong. But I'm pretty sure he would definitely have a heart attack if Miley just showed up on our doorstep and broke the news to him.

"So you're really happy with Ryan? He treats you good, right?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes he's good to me Joe."

"Good because if he wasn't then I would go beat him up right now." I said, grinning.

Miley laughed and lightly pushed me. "You are such a dork Joe," she said as she walked back into the restaurant.

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**There's chapter 4 for all of you that are reading. I hope you guys like it, but I know it's probably not the best there is out there. Send me your thoughts and any suggestions you have for the story. I have some ideas but would love more!**

**Oh and did anyone watch Dancing with the Stars tonight? I did and I got to say the Jonas Brothers did a good job. But its not one of their regular performances where they get to rock out and I was so mad that they cut "When You Look Me in the Eyes" short! I felt totally gypped!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to tell me what you think of the story. It makes me happy and when I'm happy I write. :)**

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**Chapter 5**

It had been two weeks since Miley's trip to California. Ryan had already left to California, moving into a house two blocks away from her parents. Miley had decided to move back into her parent's house, she wanted to wait to move in with Ryan until after they got married. Billy Ray and Tish had insisted on keeping Nikki with them so that Miley would have more time to concentrate on moving. It was difficult for Miley to leave her baby for the first time, but she gave in to her parent's begging.

She had put her house on the market and started packing her things. Cardboard boxes covered every inch of her house, shipping them to her parents every so often. She never realized just how much stuff she had collected since she moved to Tennessee, until now.

She was about to get lost in a world of cardboard and newspapers, when her doorbell rang.

-Miley's POV-

Glad for a distraction from non-stop packing, I quickly got up to see who it was. I opened the door to reveal, none other than Ashley.

"You're home!" I squealed. She had left to go on vacation for the past month and I had missed her like crazy. "I have so much to tell you," I said, as I pulled her into the house.

She laughed as she stepped into the house, looking around to see mountains of boxes. "You weren't kidding when you said a lot had happened."

"You have no idea." I said as I cleared off the couch. "Here sit, we have a lot to catch up on."

She looked around before taking a seat. "So where's Nikki? I haven't seen the little munchkin in forever."

"She's in California with my parents," I said while handing her a bottle of water.

Her eyes went wide. "California?"

I knew what she was thinking already. "Don't worry. It's part of my story."

"Well then spill already!" she said as she pulled me down on the couch.

For the next hour I told her what had happened since she had left. She was pretty much in shock when I was done. I couldn't help but laugh at her. She reminded me so much of Emily's character Lily.

"Breathe Ash. I don't want you passing out on me." I joked.

"You're engaged?" was all she could say, looking at my ring.

I nodded. "Shocking, I know."

Her face fell slightly as she processed my other news. "So when are you moving?"

"In two weeks." I said. I hadn't thought of how Ashley would feel until now. I was really going to miss her when I leave. "My dad, Kevin, and Joe are going to come next week to help me move the rest of my stuff."

"I'm going to miss you." she said, breaking my heart.

I hated to think that I was making her sad. "Ash, you were a great friend to me these past couple of years. I don't know where I would be now if it wasn't for you."

"Oh stop it, you're making me blush." she said, laughing. "I wish I could just pick up and move, but it would be too hard for me to try to start over in a place where I didn't know anybody."

As she said that, an idea popped into my head. "Well what about now?" I asked her.

"What?" she asked, with a confused look on her face.

"Move with me. You can live with Ryan. He has a house all too himself, I'm sure he wouldn't mind having someone else with him."

She looked at me as if I had just grown a second head. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm serious Ash. Why not now?" I said completely serious.

"Miley, I can't just pick up and move. That's insane." she reasoned.

"Live a little Ash. Life's too short to live it in the safe lane." I knew it was a crazy idea, but hey it sounded logical to me. "Nikki would be crush if she never saw you again and you just said yourself that you always wanted to move."

She sat there completely silent. After what seemed like eternity she finally said something. "I hate when you use Nikki against me. You know I can never say no when it comes to her."

That's when I knew I had won. "Don't blame it on Nikki, you know you secretly wanted to move. You just didn't want to come across as eager."

"OK, so maybe I was." she laughed. "But don't think I'm moving for you, I'm only doing it for Nikki."

I lightly threw a pillow at her. "Whatever you say Ash. But you better start packing, we leave in two weeks!"

-Nick's POV-

Kevin and Joe had left on a "business trip" as they called it, but I knew it wasn't. They never did any business at home so why would they do it somewhere else? They haven't even met with our new manager yet.

Ryan and I became friends quick since he started working for me. I took him around, showing him just what California was all about. He was a pretty interesting guy and easy to talk too. We talked about everything from business to family life. I even told him about my situation with Miley, careful not to mention names. I didn't want the press to have a field day with that information.

I opened the door to my house just as a little girl ran by with Frankie following close behind. "Mom?" I called out, confused as to why there was a little kid in our house.

"Nick? You're home early." she said, looking around the room. "I thought you had meetings all day."

"They were canceled. But mom, why is Frankie chasing a little girl around the house?"

"Oh. Billy Ray is out of town and Tish had to run some errands so they asked if I could keep an eye on they're niece." she said rather quickly.

Just then the little toddler ran right into my legs and fell onto the ground. I watched as my mom picked her up and I suddenly realized she was the little girl from the picture. Just then Frankie came down the stairs, but quickly ran back up to his room. I wonder what his problem is.

"You okay sweetie?" I heard my mom ask. The little girl nodded and flashed a huge smile, that oddly resembled Miley's signature smile. My mom sat her down on the couch and I took a seat next to her.

"What's your name mister?" she asked me.

I was surprised that she could talk in complete sentences, which just proved the fact that I didn't know much about kids.

"My name's Nick. What's yours?"

"Nikki." she answered. "Hey our names sounds alike!" she exclaimed, laughing.

I couldn't help but break out into a smirk, her laugh was contagious. "Why yes they do."

I looked over to my mom who had a nervous look on her face. "Nikki, why don't we go make you something to eat?"

"Sure!" the little girl said, overly excited as she ran up to my mom.

I watched as my mom led her into the kitchen. For someone who looked to be about four, she was awfully witty. She reminded me so much of Miley with her bubbly personality and confidence. It must run in the family.

-No one's POV-

Everybody was busy bringing all of Miley's stuff into the house, placing boxes anywhere they could find a place for it.

"Geez Miley, how much stuff do you have?" Joe exclaimed, out of breath.

Miley laughed, "You're lucky I decided on leaving most of my stuff behind."

"I don't think it would have made a difference." Joe said as Miley made her way back to the moving van.

"Believe me, I had to convince her to give most of her stuff away." Ashley said, collapsing onto the couch.

Kevin walked in holding another box. "We gotta hurry guys, we need to get over to Ryan's house before Nick gets home. I think it would be a little obvious if there was a moving van in Miley's driveway."

"No worries, mom has him running around all over town doing errands for her." Joe explained while stretching across a second couch.

"So how are you guys planning on keeping this from him?" Ashley questioned.

"I honestly don't know, I was hoping Miley would have talked to him by now." Kevin stated.

Miley walked back in, carrying a small box, oblivious to the fact the group had just been talking about her. "Well it looks like we're all done here. You guys should head over to Ryan's place now."

Joe looked at her. "You're not coming?"

"No, I should start unpacking and I need to pick up Nikki from your place." Miley said.

-Miley's POV-

After unpacking for what seemed like hours, I walked next door, hoping with all my might that he wouldn't be home. I looked down the driveway and let out the breath I was holding as I saw it was empty. I walked up to the door and knocked.

It took about two minutes before Frankie opened the door. "Hey Frankie, how was babysitting today?"

He looked tired. Nikki must have kept him busy. "Nikki is wild, she must take after you."

"Why thank you Frankie, I'll take that as I compliment." I said with a smile.

"Come on in. Mom just got done giving her a bath." He moved out of the way, letting me in.

I made my way upstairs and into the bathroom where Denise and Nikki were. I was practically tackled by Nikki as I stepped through the doorway. "Mommy!" she yelled. Her hair was still dripping wet from the bath and slightly curly.

"Hey sweetie." I said, bending down to give her a kiss. "I hear you have been keeping Frankie busy." All she did was giggle.

I turned towards Denise and thanked her for taking care of Nikki for me. She smiled and hugged me, "It was no problem. It's not everyday that I get to spend time with my granddaughter."

I smiled. It was the first time I heard her say granddaughter. "Well I should probably get going before it gets late." It was only 6 PM, but I wanted to leave just in case. I headed towards the stairs with Nikki and Denise behind me. As I got closer to the bottom I heard the front door close, I looked up to find myself face to face with the one and only Nick Jonas.

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**So this would have probably been up earlier, but I got sidetracked and watched Jimmy Kimmel live instead. Who thought the guys did better tonight than last night? (raises hand) I surely did. Now I get to wait till Saturday to watch the Kid's Choice Awards. Yea, I'm 18 and still watch it. So what? I'll proudly say I like the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana any day, even if my cousins make fun of me for it. But I know they secretly like them too because they end up singing their songs when they ride in my car.**

**But anyways… what's gonna happen now?**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know I've been updating a lot... but it gets addicting after awhile. I'm sure you guys don't mind though.**

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**Chapter 6**

Nick pulled into his driveway, tired from driving all around town running errands for his mom. He stepped out of his car, looking at the bags in his backseat. He decided he had done enough for the day and would tell Frankie to get the bags from the car. He was just ready to collapse on his bed and sleep for hours. Nick walked into the house, unaware of what exactly was waiting for him. He closed the door behind him, turning towards the stairs, only to be greeted by someone he never thought he would see again.

-Nick's POV-

I stopped in my tracks when I saw her. My mind must have been playing tricks on me, or I must be delirious from the lack of sleep because Miley Cyrus was standing in my living room. It couldn't be right? She left four years ago.

"Miley?" I managed to say. But it only came out as a whisper considering that I was in a state of shock.

She looked like she had seen a ghost. Her face was pale and she looked like she was going to pass out at any given moment. If she heard me, she didn't respond. She just stood there, staring back at me.

I was about to take a step towards her when I saw my mom and Nikki coming down the stairs.

"What's wrong Miley?" I heard my mom ask, following Miley's gaze. She looked almost as bad as Miley did as her eyes landed on me. "Nick, you're home."

"Uh… yeah." I said, shifting my feet awkwardly.

By now Miley had gained her composure back. She turned towards my mom, mumbling something about watching Nikki and that she better head home. I watched as she bent down to pick up Nikki. I wanted to say something to her, but I just couldn't find the courage or the words.

She brushed past me, avoiding all eye contact. "Bye Nick," after four years, those were the only words she said to me. It was as if those were the words to end the conversation we started four years ago. Then for the second time, I watched as she walked out of the house.

_M: hello?_

_N: Miley?_

_M: hey Nick_

_N: are you busy right now?_

_M: not really. Why?_

_N: I need to talk to you. Can you come over?_

_M: sure… I'll be over in 15 minutes. I actually have something I want to tell you._

_N: OK_

_My family had gone out to dinner but I decided to stay home, saying I didn't feel good. I sat on the couch, staring blankly at the TV which ironically was playing an episode of Hannah Montana, mocking me. I was getting even more nervous as the seconds ticked on the clock sitting on our mantle. _

_I got up to open the door when I heard the doorbell ring. There she was, looking even more beautiful as ever. I took a deep breath, I couldn't chicken out now. I had made up my mind._

"_Hey," she said, wrapping her arms around me. She must have felt my body tense because she quickly let go, a look of confusion on her face._

_I moved to the side, giving her room to walk into the house. She took a seat on the couch, laughing when she realized what was showing on the TV._

_I walked over to where the remote was sitting and quickly turned off the TV. I took another deep breath before going through with my decision._

"_Miley." I said, taking her hand in mine. "This isn't easy for me to say."_

_She quickly jerked her hand from mine, fear flashing in her eyes. I immediately looked away, scared that she could see what I was thinking._

"_What is it?" she said, barely loud enough for me to hear.._

"_Miley, I don't want to hurt you." I said, focusing my attention on the ground. "But, I don't think this is working out."_

_At that moment, I could have sworn that I heard her heart breaking. I looked up just as a tear was sliding down her cheek. It broke my heart knowing that I was making her cry, but I had told myself that this would be better for the both of us._

_I reached out to wipe the tear away, but she pushed my hand away. I watched as she got up from the couch and headed towards the door, not saying a word. I wanted to explain to her why I did what I did, and that I still loved her. But it was too late. All I could do was watch as she walked out of my house, and ultimately out of my life._

"Nick?" my mom said, gently shaking my shoulder. "Let her go Nick."

I turned to look at my mom, my eyes glistening with unshed tears. I was hurt that she had said that to me, she knew how I still felt about Miley. I thought she, of all people, would encourage me to run after her and tell me not to let her walk out of my life for a second time. But that's not what she had said at all.

"She's engaged Nick, and happy. It's time you let yourself be happy too."

But I couldn't hear anything she said after I heard the word engaged. That was it, the word I needed to hear. She had moved on and found someone better. At that moment I knew it was too late and that I had lost her. I had lost her from the moment I let her walk out of the house four years ago. As far as I knew, there was nothing I could do to have her be mine again.

-Ashley's POV-

I was sitting in the living room of the Cyrus' house, listening to them tell embarrassing stories of Miley when she was younger. Everyone was practically rolling on the floor from laughter, especially Joe. Emily had to constantly tell him to take it down a notch.

Billy Ray was halfway through a story about when Miley was being potty trained when the door burst opened. Everyone turned to see Miley walking into the house. She stopped in the living room, placing Nikki on her feet.

"Sorry I took so long," she said, with a smile on her face. "I'm just going to wash up before dinner."

I watched her as she walked up the stairs. She was acting like nothing was wrong, but I could easily tell that she was upset. I tried to think of what could have happened before it clicked. She was just at the Jonas' house. Something must have happened.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," I said, getting up. I walked upstairs, looking for Miley's room. I finally found it after opening all the wrong ones, I cautiously knocked on the door. "Miles? Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine," I heard her yell through the door. But I knew better than to believe Miley when she said she was fine. That just meant that she was anything but fine.

I pushed open the door and found Miley sitting with her back against her bed, a wrinkly picture in her hand. She immediately wiped her tears when she saw me come in. "I'm ok, I swear."

I pulled her into a hug. "Miley, I know you too well to believe that you are ok."

She sighed before telling me everything that had happened. "I just didn't expect to see him so soon." She threw the picture across the room. "I wasn't mentally prepared."

"You know, if he was able to break your heart without telling you why, then he never deserved you." I was hoping that I was making her feel better, and not making the situation worse.

"Thanks, Ash." she said, hugging me.

We sat in silence for a good ten minutes, both of us occupied with our own thoughts. I saw her staring at her engagement ring, curious to know what she was thinking. I knew her mind was probably all jumbled up now that her past had come to meet her present, and I couldn't do anything to help her. Nick was her first love and the father of her child, but she had started a new life with Ryan.

She suddenly got up and let out a heavy sigh. "We should probably head downstairs before Joe eats all the food." she said, slightly laughing.

-No one's POV-

It had been two weeks since Nick's little run in with Miley. He decided that he should take his mother's advice and let her go. So he avoided her at all cost. There were times when they would bump into each other as they left the house, but one of them would quickly leave before a word was said. There were days where all he wanted to do was go next door and talk to her and try to straighten everything out, but his conscience had gotten the best of him.

He was currently sitting at work, trying his hardest to focus on the task at hand. But he was failing miserably.

Ryan could sense that something was bothering Nick. He knew Nick wasn't very talkative, but it was unlike him to not say a word all day.

"You okay man?" Ryan asked.

Nick looked up, startled by Ryan's voice. He had forgotten that he wasn't the only one in the room. "Yeah, I've just been dealing with some stuff."

Now these two guys had became good friends quick, but they didn't have heart to heart talks with each other. There was something a little weird about two guys talking about their feelings.

"Well why don't you come to dinner with me and my fiancé tonight. Plus, she has a friend that moved with her that hasn't really met anyone new yet." Ryan suggested to Nick.

Nick hesitated. He felt like he usually did when he was being set up on date by his brothers.

"It will help take your mind off of the girl you are thinking about."

Nick looked up, surprised that Ryan knew that he was thinking about a girl. "How did you know?"

"For someone who is always in front of the media, you really need to work on not showing your true feelings. You're like an open book." Ryan said. "So what do you say? I can promise you that when you put those two girls together you will never have a dull moment."

Nick still didn't answer. He was thinking about Miley, but he quickly pushed her out of his mind. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to meet someone new."

"Great. Meet us at my house at 8." With that being said, Ryan walked out of the office to call Miley about their dinner plans.

Ryan never told her that he worked for Nick Jonas, and he never connected Nick to his brothers Joe and Kevin. But he did know about their band the Jonas Brothers. He also knew Miley was a fan. Back in Tennessee he would often catch her listening to their songs for hours on end. So he thought it was a great idea to surprise Miley with his special guest tonight. But he didn't know that Miley has history with Nick and that meeting him would definitely not be a surprise.

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**Nick's going to find out about Miley and Ryan. What do you say? Big dramatic moment in the making?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

Miley made her way downstairs looking stunning in a simple black dress. She bent down and got eye-level with Nikki to say goodbye. "Be good for pappy and mimi tonight ok? Mommy will be home tomorrow." With that said, she gave Nikki a light kiss on the forehead, thanked her parents for baby sitting, and headed out the door. She stopped for a split-second when she noticed the light to Nick's room on and could see his shadow walking around the room. She shook her head slightly trying to push him from her thoughts and headed over to Ryan's house.

-Miley's POV-

"Hey, it smells good in here." I said as I walked into the kitchen to see Ryan and Ashley preparing dinner.

"Wow, you look beautiful" was all Ryan said as he managed to give me a quick kiss before Ashley pulled me upstairs to her room.

"Finally, I've been waiting for you to get here so you could help me get ready." I couldn't help but laugh at her. She looked like a chicken with its head chopped off. She was frantically running around her room, throwing clothes everywhere, looking for something to wear. "Should I go casual? Or dressy?" I heard her ask from the closet. "I don't want to look desperate or anything. This isn't really a date, but I do want to make a good first impression."

I sat down on her bed and watched as she stressed over the dinner guest. "I'm sure whatever you wear will be fine Ash."

After enduring thirty minutes of clothes being thrown at me, Ashley finally stepped out of the closet wearing a simple cream colored summer dress with gold stitching. "How does this look?" she asked as she spun around.

"I'll be perfectly honest, if he doesn't ask you out then he must be blind." Right about that time, the doorbell rang. "Alright, lets go see your potential boyfriend." I said as I pushed her out the door, following behind her. Ashley suddenly stopped mid-step, causing me to run into her, almost knocking her to the ground.

"Hey man, come on in." I heard Ryan say. "This is Ashley." He said, pointing to Ashley who was still standing on the stairs, blocking my view. I pushed her slightly, "don't be rude, say hi."

"Hi." was all she said. What was going on with this girl? "Hey," I heard the guest say. His voice sounded so familiar, but I couldn't figure out why.

Ryan pulled Ashley down the remaining two steps. "And this is my fiancé, Miley." At that moment, I looked up and was completely shock to see who Ryan's friend turned out to be. No wonder his voice had sounded so familiar. "Miley, this is Nick. But you should already know that considering you listen to their music non-stop." he smirked.

My cheeks immediately turned a deep red, and I suddenly took interest on the wood flooring. No wonder Ashley had been completely shocked. How could Ryan not tell me he worked for the Jonas Brothers? I could kill him right about now.

-Nick's POV-

Ryan. Miley. Engaged. I stood there, trying to comprehend everything I had just learned but it was turning out to be very difficult. My mind was racing with a million thoughts. Ryan, my new manager, was engaged to Miley, my ex-girlfriend. Was the world trying to make my life even more miserable? If it was, it definitely succeeded tonight. First she moves back to California, then she's engaged to the guy who's working for me. What else is going to happen?

"She must be star-struck. She's usually never this quiet." Ryan said, chuckling. I forced a smile on my face. Boy was this dinner going to awkward.

-Ashley's POV-

You could feel the tension in the room as Ryan was introducing Nick to Miley, oblivious about Miley's past. Hollywood was definitely turning out to be an interesting place to live I thought to myself. I looked over at Miley who look like she was going to be sick. I had to do something and quick.

"Um… how about we get dinner started?" I suggested, trying to make the situation less awkward.

"That sounds great." Ryan said, ushering Nick to the dining room.

I grabbed Miley's hand as she walked past me, "Miley, will you help me bring the food out?" I asked casually. I pulled her towards the kitchen before she even had a chance to answer me.

I spun around to face her as we stepped into the kitchen. "What a small world, huh?" She nodded, clearly still shaken up. "Ryan never told you he worked for the Jonas Brothers?"

She shook her head, "No." She started pacing. "Why is this happening to me? What did I do to ever deserve this?" she cried out in desperation, throwing her hands in the air. "Living next to him wasn't enough. No. He had to be Ryan's boss too!"

"Shhh… they'll hear you." I said, trying to calm her down. "We should get out there before they start to wonder where we went." I passed her the bowls of salad and mashed potatoes and grabbed the rest of the plates as I headed towards the door. I took one last look at her and pushed the door open. I walked into the dining room, acting as if nothing had happened and set the plates down. Miley was lagging behind a little bit. "Here we go." I took the bowls from Miley and set those down on the table before taking my seat.

-No one's POV-

Dinner consisted of Ryan making small talk, asking Nick about the band and life on tour. Nick politely answered Ryan's questions, avoiding any stories that lead to Miley. Ashley and Miley stayed quiet for most of the dinner, only talking when they were asked a question. After dinner, the girls cleared the table as the guys headed out to the back porch.

"So that was… uncomfortable." Ashley said, when she was sure the guys were out of hearing range.

"Just a little bit." Miley said, putting the dishes into the dishwasher.

When the girls were done, they headed out to the porch to join the guys.

-Miley's POV-

Ashley had already gone out to the porch, but I took my time. I was definitely not in a rush, I just wanted the night to be over with. I took a deep breath as I got near the door and walked over towards Ryan. Nick was in the middle of telling a story, when I heard Ryan ask, "Wait, Joe and Kevin are your brothers?"

Nick looked at him like he was crazy and nodded his head.

"Why didn't I make that connection?" Ryan seemed to be asking himself. My eyes were getting wide, hoping Ryan wouldn't say any more. But my heart dropped when Nick asked what Ryan had meant.

"Joe and Kevin came to visit Miley in Tennessee a couple of times. I don't know how I could have over-looked the last name Jonas." As I heard Ryan say that sentence I started choking on my drink, causing everyone to look in my direction.

I had to get out of there. "I should be heading home," I said as I stood up. I gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek and hugged Ashley before turning to Nick. "Good night," I said, sticking out my hand for a hand-shake. He awkwardly took my hand in his. I let go as quickly as I could, and turned to leave. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and erase tonight out of my memory.

Five minutes later, I walked into the house. "Miley Ray?" I heard my dad call out. "I thought you were staying over at Ryan's tonight?

"I changed my mind." I said.

He gave me a confused look. "Did you two have a fight?"

"No, we didn't daddy. I just wanted to come home." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and headed up the stairs.

I checked on Nikki, who was sleeping peacefully, on my way to my room. The first thing I did was change into my pjs and crawled into bed. But the night kept repeating itself in my head, causing me to toss and turn. I finally gave up on trying to fall asleep and turned on my light. Ten minutes didn't even pass when I heard a knock on the door of my balcony. I figured it was Ashley coming to check on me and got up to open the door. It was definitely not Ashley.

"Nick?" I asked, wondering what he was doing at my door at midnight. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep and I saw your light on."

"So you decided to come over?"

"We- well… yeah." he stuttered. "and I think we need to talk."

I stood in the doorway, contemplating whether or not to let him in. I didn't know what he wanted to talk about, but it couldn't be anything good. After a minute or two, I finally opened the door all the way and allowed him to come inside. "What do you want to talk about?"

-Nick's POV-

I stepped into her room for the first time in four years. Everything was just like I remembered it, the blue walls with the metallic circles, her oak wood furniture, even the smell was the same. The only thing different from four years ago was that there were no traces of our relationship. All of our pictures were gone, along with any present I had gotten her over the three years we had dated.

"What do you want to talk about?" I heard her ask, as she closed her door.

I turned around to face her, gathering all the courage that I had. "Why did you leave?"

"It was late and I was tired." she answered, clearly misunderstanding my question.

I shook my head. "No, not tonight. Four years ago. Why did you leave four years ago?" I looked her straight in the eyes, but she quickly dodged my gaze.

"I couldn't stay." was all she said, staring at the ground.

"Yes you could have. We could have worked it out Miley. You didn't have to give up and leave."

She looked up, without a doubt angered by what I had said. "How did you expect me to stay? You said we were through Nick, you were the one that gave up on our relationship. Now you say we could have worked it out? You are such a hypocrite." she was definitely mad.

"But did you really have to leave?" I asked again.

She looked down at the ground again. "It was the only way Nick." Her voice was so low, I almost didn't hear her.

"Why did you keep in touch with Joe and Kevin, but never once returned any of my phone calls?"

She sat on her bed, still avoiding looking at me. "Joe and Kevin helped me through my roughest times and it was just easier for me to stop talking to you. I wanted to forget you."

The last sentence ripped my heart apart. "I'm really sorry Miley. I didn't intentionally want to hurt you." She nodded her head. "But you know we were going through a rough time. We were always fighting and never made time for each other anymore. It was just better for us to end things."

She didn't say anything. I took a deep breath, running my hand through my curls. "I didn't mean to make you mad Miley."

"I'm not mad Nick. I was never mad. Definitely hurt, but never mad." She finally looked at me. "But I learned to forgive you and let go of the past."

I let a heavy sigh. "Are you happy with Ryan?"

She looked at me, surprised by my question. "Yes, Nick. I am."

My heart broke a little more by her answer. "I'm glad Miley. I want you to be happy."

"I am Nick."

We sat in complete silence for awhile, before I broke into her thoughts. "Miley? Do you think we can start over and be friends again?" I was scared of her answer. Yes, I was still in love with her. But I was too late for that, so I decided being friends would be better than completely avoiding each other. "I just don't want us to be awkward with each other."

She turned towards me, breaking out into a small smile. "I would like that." With that, she approached me and gave me a friendly hug. A part of me wanted to hold onto her as long as I could, but I knew better than to risk our newfound friendship.

I pulled away, hesitating a little bit. "It's getting late, I should go home." She nodded and walked me to the door. "Good-night Miley." I said as I walked back to my house.

-Miley's POV-

I watched as Nick walked back home, a familiar scene from when we were dating. I closed the door and crawled back into bed, replaying the conversation over and over again. I was happy that we had decided to become friends again, but was he trying to tell me something? I shook the feeling away, trying not to cause unnecessary problems for me.

All through our talk, I fought with myself. Trying to figure out whether or not I should tell him about Nikki. But when he asked if we could start over, I decided tonight was not the right time. We were just starting to become friends again, and news like that would definitely put a strain on things. So I went with my better judgment and kept it too myself. There would be a time and a place for me to break the news to him, but tonight was not the night.

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**I think I really like this chapther. LOL. So its 2 in the morning here and I just had to finish this chapter and update. So don't put my hardwork to waste and review! :) But only if you really want too. I don't want to pressure you or anything.**

**So did anyone else watch the KCA? I did... twice. JB won! But that was definitely not a surprise. I thought their clothes and color combination was a little weird, but they still definitely looked cute. I cracked up laughing when the camera zoomed into AJ when the JB went onstage to accept their reward. I bet it was awkward that Miley was sitting in front of JB. But a part of me hopes that they are still friends with each other and that Niley will get back together. But enough of my dreams. I was surprise that Hannah Montana didn't win favorite tv show. I was so sure that it would. But anyways. What did you think of Miley's performance? It was cute... but she was a little out of breath. I find that she sounds better when she doesn't run around the stage. I really liked her dress and her outfit for when she performed though. I'm so jealous of her. I would definitely love to have her closet! But anyways... I should go to bed so that I can get up for church tomorrow morning. Enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you to everyone who's leaving me reviews. I love them! :) But I'm sad to say that spring break is officially over, so that means I won't be updating as much. :( Sad, right? I know I am...**

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**Chapter 8**

Miley was spending quality girl time with her friends Emily, Cyndi, and Ashley. She had introduced Ashley to the girls shortly after moving back, and they had quickly became friends. The four were currently in Miley's sitting room watching Nikki playing on the ground.

"You are so lucky to have Nikki," Cyndi said. "She is absolutely adorable."

Miley laughed. "Well thanks. She may be adorable but she is definitely a handful." She watched her daughter having the time of her life playing with a stuffed bear. "It's a shame she inherited my wild personality instead of her father's calmness."

"Speaking of her father, what is going on with you two?" Emily questioned, a curious look on her face. "and have you told him yet?"

Miley rolled her eyes. "We're on speaking terms, and no I haven't told him yet."

Emily was definitely not letting the subject go. "Why not?"

"It just hasn't been the right time yet." Miley said, avoiding all eye contact. She knew what they were going to say. It was the same thing Joe and Kevin have been telling her.

"When will it ever be the right time Miley?" Cyndi, who was the one who usually defended Miley on this subject, asked. "I know you have probably heard this a million times, but you really should tell him."

Miley was surprised by Cyndi's forwardness. She never pushed Miley to tell Nick before. "I will." Miley said, her gaze falling on Nikki. "I know he has the right to know, and I want Nikki to know who her father is too. But I just need time."

Ashley knew if she let the conversation go any further Miley would be in tears, so she quickly changed the subject. "So Cyndi, when are you and Kevin going to have one?" She pointed to Nikki, causing Cyndi to blush.

"We're hoping soon." she answered, slightly embarrassed while the others busted out into fits of laughter. "It's not funny!" she exclaimed, hitting the girls lightly. By this time Nikki looked at the group with a bewildered look on her face, only causing them to laugh harder.

"What's so funny?" Joe asked as he walked into the room with Kevin right behind him. They gave their wife and girlfriend a kiss before greeting Miley and Ashley with a hug. They both knelt by Nikki, placing bags in front of her. "Look what we got you Nikki." She immediately squealed with delight and started ripping the bags to pieces. "TOYS!" she yelled at the top of her lungs while giving Joe and Kevin hugs.

Miley could only shake her head. "You boys are going to spoil her."

"What can we say, she's just the cutest niece we have." Joe said with a smirk on his face, bending over to pick Nikki up. "Besides, it's almost her birthday."

"It's two weeks away, which means no presents until then." Miley said, giving the boys a look.

"Fine, take our fun away will ya!" Joe dramatically exclaimed, sticking his tongue out at Miley. "Don't worry Nikki, you can play with my toys till then."

"Very mature Joe." Miley said, taking Nikki from Joe. "So what are you guys doing here anyways?"

Kevin looked up. "You're mom invited the family over for dinner." He suddenly had a nervous look on his face. "She didn't tell you?"

Miley shook her head and stared back at Kevin. "Don't tell me…" Kevin knew exactly what she was talking about and nodded. Miley lost all color in her face as she looked at Nikki. She handed Nikki to Ashley and collapsed onto the couch.

-Miley's POV-

What was my mom doing to me? She had succeeded in making dinner awkward even before it started. I grabbed a pillow, burying my face in it, and let out the loudest scream I could. After a couple of minutes, I regained my composure and sat up to find everyone staring at me.

"Are you ok?" Ashley asked, clearly scared by my outburst.

I smiled, "I'm fine. I just needed to let out some steam." But they were all still staring at me with worried looks on their faces. "Guys, seriously, I'm ok. I'm just going to get Nikki washed up before dinner." I got up from the couch, bending down to pick up Nikki, and turned to leave.

-No one's POV-

"So who wants to bet that dinner is going to be interesting tonight?" Joe asked, causing Emily to hit his arm. "Joe, don't be stupid."

"I was just stating the obvious." he replied.

"Let's just try to not bring the subject up." Kevin said.

Joe looked at him like he was crazy. "How are we going to do that? She's going to be running all around the house."

"Well from what Nick knows, Nikki is Miley's cousin. So lets try to keep it that way." Cyndi said, getting up to see if Tish needed help with dinner.

"How did you guys get Nick to think Nikki is Miley's cousin?" Ashley asked.

"Brandi just kinda blurted out the first thing she could come up with," Emily said, chuckling a little. "I wish I was there to see everyone's faces when Nick asked who the little girl was."

"Yeah well you would have looked the same way if you were there." Joe countered. Kevin shook his head, laughing at the couple. The two continued to argue with each other until they were interrupted by the doorbell.

-Miley's POV-

My heart skipped a beat when I heard the doorbell ring. I was certain that it was Nick and his parents and my mom only confirmed it.

"Miley?" I heard her say over the intercom. I walked over to the wall where the intercom was. "Yes mom?"

"Ryan is here, along with the rest of the Jonas family. Are you coming down soon?"

I was getting butterflies in my stomach. Dinner was sure to be stressful. "I'm coming." I replied, letting go of the button. I walked back over to Nikki and finished dressing her. Taking a deep breath, I took one last look in the mirror, fixing any misplaced pieces of hair. "Alright Nikki, be on your best behavior tonight."

"I will mommy," she said, staring up at me with those big brown eyes. She was unaware of the fact that her real father was sitting downstairs. I took another deep breath, picked up Nikki, and headed downstairs, taking as much time as I could. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I placed Nikki on her feet.

"Frankie!" she yelled, running over to him as soon as her feet touched the ground. A smile broke across my face as I watched her jump on Frankie.

"She never gets like that whenever she sees me," I heard Noah say, causing the group around her to laugh.

I looked up, catching Nick's eye for a split-second before I turned my attention to Mrs. Jonas. "Hi Mrs. Jonas." I said as I pulled her into a hug.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that," she laughed, pulling me in for a second hug. "Sorry," I mumbled, pulling away. Mr. Jonas was waiting for his hug, as I stepped away from Mrs. Jonas. I laughed, giving him the biggest hug I could, which he returned.

I took a deep breath, turning towards Nick. "Hey," I said awkwardly, not sure if he wanted a hug. Thankfully, Ryan interrupted the moment.

"Hey Miley, you're mom needs you in the kitchen," he said as he gave me a kiss on the lips. For a second I thought I saw jealousy flash through Nick's eyes before he turned to go into the living room. "Thanks," I said, heading towards the kitchen.

-No one's POV-

As Miley left to help her mom in the kitchen, everybody else retreated to the living room. They sat around talking, interrupted by Nikki every once in awhile.

"Pappy, where's mommy?" she asked, looking up at Billy Ray. Everyone, except Nick and Ryan, had stopped talking and looked over to Billy Ray curious to see what his response would be. Nick and Ryan were too busy talking about work to notice everyone else.

Billy Ray looked down at his granddaughter, scared to say the wrong thing. "She's not here right now honey."

"Nikki, why don't we play with your new toys?" Joe suggested, leading her towards the corner of the room where her toys were.

"Dinner's ready!" Tish called from the dining room, prompting everyone to head towards the table. Nick was about to sit in his usual spot, but thought twice about it. He stepped back, waiting to see where everyone sat.

Miley sat in her usual spot, Ryan sitting down next to her in the seat Nick usually sat in. Nick sat next to Kevin, at the opposite end of Miley. Nikki was placed in her high chair, in between Tish and Noah. Dinner turned out to be pretty uneventful, Nikki never once said the word mommy. It wasn't until they were having desert in the living room, when things took a turn down the awkward path.

"So when's the wedding Miley?" Mrs. Jonas asked. Nick suddenly took interest in the piece of cake in

his hands.

"We haven't really decided yet." Miley said, glancing over at Nick who was looking at the piece of cake he was holding. "We just kind of want to get situated first and then see where things take us."

Ryan caught the glimpse Miley gave Nick. He was suddenly curious to know what went on between those two. At the dinner at his house, they acted like they didn't know each other. But then he finds out their families were good friends.

"Oh, before I forget." Tish exclaimed. "We're throwing Nikki a birthday party in two weeks and would love it if you guys would be there."

"Of course we'll be there." Mrs. Jonas said, accepting the invitation on behalf of the rest of the family.

They continued talking about what Miley had been doing the past couple of years, making Nick feel weird that he knew nothing about the girl who use to be his best friend. The two families were enjoying the night when Nikki interrupted them.

"Mommy, I need to pee." Nikki said as she walked towards Miley. Everyone fell silent, turning towards Miley, then at Nick. Nick's jaw had dropped, obviously shocked by what Nikki had just called Miley.

"I'll take her," Noah said, getting up and taking Nikki's hand. Everyone was still silent, scared to say something. Miley was busy playing with her hands, scared to look up.

Mr. Jonas cleared his throat, breaking everybody out of their trance. "It's getting late, we should head home." He stood up, the rest of the family following his lead. "Thank you for having us over." he said, saying goodbye to Billy Ray and Tish. The two families exchanged awkward goodbyes. Miley was still sitting on the couch, trying her best to not look at Nick.

After the Jonas' left, Miley finally let out the breath she was holding in. "I'm just going to head up to my room." Ryan excused himself, and followed Miley through the house to her wing of the house.

-Ryan's POV-

"Miley?" I asked as we stepped into her room. She turned around slowly, sinking onto her bed. "What's going on Miles?" I heard her let out a heavy sigh, but she didn't say a word. "What are you keeping from me?" I asked again.

She looked up, her eyes watering. "Ryan, Nikki is…" She stopped, taking a deep breath. "Nikki is Nick's daughter."

I stood there silent, thoughts running through my head. "I should have known." I said more to myself than Miley.

"What?" Miley asked, a confused look on her face.

"She just looks so much like him. I should have known."

"It was a mistake." Miley said, wiping her tears away. "We were both young and foolish."

I walked over to her, wrapping my arms around her as she rested her head against my chest. "It's ok, it's the past."

She looked up at me with those big eyes. "Please don't tell him."

-Nick's POV-

I walked back home in silence. Mommy? Did Nikki just call Miley mommy? She couldn't have right? All these questions were bouncing around in my head, wanting to be answered. I was deep in thought when I felt someone tap my shoulder.

"Nick? You ok?"

I turned around to see Kevin. "Yeah, just a little shock I guess." I started walking again. "How is it that Miley has a kid? Aren't you shocked?"

Kevin looked nervous. "Yeah… real shocked." I turned to look at the rest of my family, who had not said a word since we left. I wondered what were going through their minds.

As I walked into the house, I went straight to my room. I flopped on my bed, not bothering to change out of my jeans. Burying my head into my pillow, I let my mind wander back to the moment Nikki said mommy. Was she Ryan's daughter? She had to be right?

**Sorry if the chapter has alot of grammatical mistakes. I didn't reread it like I usually do. I've been working on the chapter all day and was anxious to get it up for you guys, so I might have overlooked some things. I kept getting sidetracked with youtube and other stories on here so it look me way longer than normal. But anyways... as I said. I'm going back to school and have work, plus my school is having a spring fling this weekend that I will be working at so I'm not going to have that much time to write. So sorry beforehand if it takes me awhile to update!**


	10. Chapter 10

**So it took me 3 days to finish writing this chapter… but I finally got it done! I had to write little bits and pieces of it when I found time, but it was worth it in the end because I think this is by far my favorite chapter so far. Tell me what you think about it! I don't think you'll be disappointed... at least I hope not!**

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**Chapter 9**

It was the morning of Nikki's 4th birthday and everyone in the Cyrus' household was busy preparing for it. Braison, his girlfriend Heather, and Noah were busy decorating the patio, stringing colorful streamers everywhere. Brandi and Josh were assigned to the inside of the house, while Billy Ray and Tish were in charge of the food. Miley was frantically running all through the house, making sure everyone was doing what they were suppose to be doing. She was getting on everyone's nerves, but they understood that she was under a lot of stress.

"Miley, calm down." Billy Ray coaxed as she popped into the kitchen for the seventh time in the past hour. "We've thrown tons of birthday parties before and they've all been great."

"I know, I just want everything to be perfect for Nikki." But the truth was, she was trying to stay preoccupied. Since the night of the dinner two weeks ago, her heart was playing tricks on her and her mind was simply not cooperating. She found herself thinking about Nick when she let her mind wander, making her feel guilty to Ryan, so she tried to keep herself busy.

As a way to help out, Ryan and Ashley had offered to take Nikki off of Miley's hands and took her to a nearby park. They were sitting on a bench watching her play, when Ryan decided to get some answers.

"So what's the history between Nick and Miley?" Ryan suddenly asked out of the blue, causing Ashley to do a double-take.

"Wh.. What?" Ashley stuttered.

Ryan rolled his eyes at her. "I know Nikki is his kid."

"You do?" Ashley asked, her eyes getting big. She was surprised that Miley had told him now that he was working for Nick. "When did Miley tell you?"

"The night of the dinner," Ryan answered. He waited for Ashley to answer his question, but she just sat there watching Nikki on the playground. He tried to be patient and let Ashley tell him when she was ready, but he couldn't wait anymore. Although he knew Nick's side of the story, he wanted to hear Miley's. "Ashley, I need to know the truth." he said, pleading with her to tell him what he wanted to know.

She sighed, turning towards Ryan. She looked in his eyes and could see that he was torn about the subject. So she went against her promise to Miley and told Ryan about her past, starting from the beginning. "They were together for three years since they were 15..."

Ryan listened intently to everything Ashley was telling him, only breaking his focus every few seconds to check to see if Nikki was doing okay. He was soon captivated by their story, forgetting that he was engaged to Miley, and found himself wanting more than anything for those two to get back together. He looked over to Nikki, the symbol of the love those two had shared, and wanted her to have the loving family she deserved.

"And that brings you to everything that's been going on today. Nick still has no clue Nikki is his daughter, and Miley has yet to decide to change that little detail." Ashley finished, taking a deep breath.

Ryan was silent for the most part, trying to absorb everything Ashley had told him. There was only one question he wanted to ask before they needed to get back home. "Do you think she still loves him?"

Ashley didn't know how to respond to that question. How was she suppose to tell Miley's fiancé whether or not Miley still loved Nick? So she said the only thing that came to her mind. "I'm not sure, Miley doesn't like to talk about Nick. But all I have to say is, a girl never truly forgets her first love."

Ryan didn't know how to take that answer. Was she or wasn't she? But he knew that Ashley wasn't the one that needed to answer that question. He stood up, calling Nikki over, and headed back to Miley's house.

Nick was sitting at his computer, trying to get some work done. But he kept getting distracted by all the commotion coming from next door. After trying to ignore it and failing miserably, he accepted defeat and walked over to his window. He was amazed by what he saw. There were colorful streamers and balloons everywhere and a giant spacewalk set up in the backyard. He laughed to himself, knowing full well that Miley tend to go above and beyond when she planned things and from the looks of it, Nikki's party was going to be huge.

He let out a heavy sigh. Just when things were starting to get better with Miley, life got in the way and brought it crashing down. They were back at square one, both trying to avoid each other as best as they could. Things at work were awkward between Ryan and Nick. He had always been jealous of Ryan for having his life on track and a family. It was even worse now that Miley was his family.

-Nick's POV-

I was enjoying the peace and quiet when Joe walked into my room and ruined it.

"Hey, which shirt looks better?" he asked.

I turned my back to the window to see Joe standing there with two shirts in his hands. "I don't care Joe," irritation present in my tone.

"Gee you're a lot of help little bro. You're lucky that I look good in everything." he joked. He stood there laughing, waiting for me to join him. But I didn't find anything funny and just stood there staring at him.

He stopped laughing when he realized I wasn't laughing with him. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern written all over his face. "You usually at least pretend my jokes are funny."

"It's nothing." I said as I turned back towards the window. "Stressed over work." I lied. But Joe seemed to believe me and walked over to the window.

"Well it looks like this party can help get your mind off things." he said, eyeing the spacewalk. If you didn't know Joe you would probably think he was only acting to be excited about a four-year-old's party, but I knew he truly was excited to go play. "Mom wants to go over early to see if they need help, so you better get ready." he said, walking out of my room.

-No one's POV-

The doorbell chimed throughout the Cyrus' house as the Jonas clan and Emily waited patiently for the door to be answered. Five minutes passed before Billy Ray finally opened the door, surprised to see the family.

"You guys are a little early," he said, laughing.

"We wanted to come and see if we can help with anything." Mrs. Jonas answered while the rest of the family nodded.

Billy Ray laughed slightly. "Don't let Miley hear you say you want to help. She's been bossing the whole family around all morning." Just as he said that, Miley ran across the hallway yelling something they couldn't make out. "What did I tell you?" Billy Ray said as he stepped aside to let his neighbors in.

"BRAISON! GET BACK HERE!" Miley yelled just as the Jonas' walked into the living room. "You didn't finis-" she looked up, stopping mid-sentence when she realized it wasn't Braison walking into the room. "Oh hi," she said, her cheeks turning a deep red. "I didn't expect guests so soon."

"Evidently," Joe snickered, earning himself a smack across the head from Kevin. "OW KEVIN!"

Kevin rolled his eyes at his immature brother. "We wanted to see if you needed any help."

"Oh no I'm fine. Just have a seat." she said, looking at her dad. "Don't you have something to be cooking?"

"Oh sure… now I see who you love more." Billy Ray joked as he walked out of the living room. Right around that same time, Nikki came running into the room her dress half off. "Mommy!" she called out, running towards Miley's legs causing Miley to stumble backwards. Nick looked away, uncomfortable with the situation as Frankie and Joe just laughed at the scene.

"Noah!" Miley yelled. Noah came running into the room at the sound of Miley's voice, out of breath. "You were suppose to dress her all the way."

"She won't cooperate with me," Noah whined. "I turned around for one second and she runs out the door, I swear your child is just as crazy as you are." she exclaimed. This only made Frankie and Joe laugh harder, as Mrs. Jonas gave them a stern look, shutting them up.

"I'll get her dressed," Mrs. Jonas offered.

"Thank you. Her clothes are in my room." Miley said, running towards another part of the house.

Mrs. Jonas picked Nikki up, turning towards Nick. "Nick? Would you like to come help me?"

"Uh… sure. I guess." Nick said, confused as to why his mom needed his help to dress a toddler. But he got up and followed his mom into Miley's room.

"Watch her for a little bit, I'm gonna go get her clothes." she said as she passed Nikki to him. Nick took her in his arms, nervous about holding another person. "Uh… hi." Nick said awkwardly, looking at Nikki.

"Whatcha looking at?" Nikki questioned, her bright blue eyes filled with curiosity.

Nick couldn't help but laugh at the little girl, she was just too cute. He walked over to Miley's bed and gently placed Nikki on it, sitting down next to her. "So I hear it's someone's birthday today."

Nikki's eyes immediately brightened and she broke out into a smile. "It's mine! It's my birthday today!" she said, bouncing on the bed. "Mommy got me this huge cake and it has my face on it!"

Nick smiled, listening to the girl go on and on about everything and anything. She was definitely Miley's daughter. He was so intrigued by Nikki that he didn't notice his mom leaning against the closet door frame, watching him a smile on her face. "Well aren't you just a little chatterbox," Mrs. Jonas said, walking up to the bed. "How about we get you dress so you can go down to your party?"

Ten minutes later Nikki came bouncing down the stairs holding Nick's hand, talking up a storm. Miley stopped suddenly, watching the two. She quickly turned away when Nick's eyes caught hers, causing her to blush. She was about to make up an excuse to leave the room when the doorbell rang, signaling the first of the guests and the start of the party.

Although it was Nikki's birthday, the party was more of a way for Miley to see all her old friends again. Everyone from Ashley Tisdale to Mandy Jiroux and even Cody Linley showed up to welcome her home.

Nick watched as Miley played host to her guests. She looked beautiful with her long brown curls framing her face and her blue eyes sparkling in the sun. He couldn't help but stare at her but he was interrupted when he felt something tugging at his pants. He looked down to see Nikki.

"Will you play with me?" she asked so innocently, Nick couldn't say no. In the small amount of time he had spent with this girl, he had grown to adore her. She pulled him over to the spacewalk, crawling in the entrance. "Come on Uncle Nick!"

Nick was taken aback by the word uncle, he was definitely not expecting to be called that. Nick shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm a little too old for this Nikki." he said, making her sad.

Joe, who was standing nearby, immediately took the opportunity to play in the spacewalk and kicked off his shoes. "I'll jump with you Nikki." With that, Joe squeezed through the slit that was the entrance.

"Joe, you're going to hurt the kids. Remember your 25 not 5." Nick cautioned.

Emily walked over, shaking her head. "I knew I would find him here." she said, laughing. "He's been wanting to play on this thing all day."

"Come on Em. It's really fun." Joe said, trying to persuade her to play.

By this time Miley walked by to check on Nikki, seeing Joe in the spacewalk. "Real mature Joe. If you hurt Nikki I'll hurt you." Miley threatened.

"I'm not gonna hurt her." Joe said, jumping around. But unfortunately, he tripped over his own two feet, and came crashing down, bringing Nikki with him.

"JOE!" Miley and Nick screamed at the same time. Miley looked like she was about to have a heart attack. "Nikki, are you ok?" she asked as she climbed in, only to find Nikki hysterically laughing at what just happened.

"See, no one got hurt." Joe proudly said, making Miley slap him lightly on the arm.

"How about we go cut the cake and open presents?" Miley suggested, causing Nikki to squeal with excitement. "I'll take that as a yes." Miley laughed. She passed Nikki to Emily and crawled out after her, Nick offering his hand for her to grab. "Thanks," she said, adjusting her clothes and quickly walked away to prepare the cake.

Everyone gathered around the table, singing happy birthday to Nikki. The little toddler was overly excited, bouncing in Miley's lap. She opened her million of presents, squealing after every one. After having their cake, the guests slowly started to depart from the party. In the end, leaving Miley's family, the Jonas', Emily, Ryan, and Ashley.

The parents were sitting inside talking while Brandi and Josh offered to clean up with the help of Kevin and Cyndi. They insisted on Miley taking a break, so that's just what Miley did.

Miley sat in a chair in the patio, watching Joe jumping in the spacewalk once again. Only this time he had achieved in getting Emily to join him, along with Noah, Frankie, Braison, and Nikki. Ashley and Nick were standing off to one side watching them and Ryan was nowhere to be seen.

"I am too old for this," Joe exclaimed as he climbed out of the spacewalk, panting for air.

"Glad you finally realize that Joe," Ashley joked, making Nick laugh. Jealousy instantly flashed through Miley's eyes while she watched Ashley and Nick, but as quickly as it came it went. Miley pushing the feeling out.

"Well Nikki, how about we go ride that bike I got you?" Joe asked, helping Nikki out of the spacewalk.

"Okay!" she cried out, jumping up and down. She grabbed both Joe's and Nick's hand, dragging them towards the bike that was sitting beside Miley. "Come on Uncle Joey and Uncle Nick."

Miley's eyes quickly darted towards the three, surprised by what had just came out of Nikki's mouth. "What do you guys think you're doing?" Miley asked as they came closer.

"Uncle Nick and Uncle Joe are gonna teach me to ride the bike mom." the toddler said, letting go of their hands.

"Oh really?" Miley questioned, looking up at the two guys.

"I know what you're thinking. I will not take my eyes off her." Joe said. "Scouts honor."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I'll watch both of them Miley."

"Okay… but be careful." she warned. "Take it easy ok sweetie." Miley said, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

She watched as Nikki ran off, Joe and Nick not far behind her. Nikki was about to jump right on the bike when Nick stopped her, helping her put on her helmet and pads. Joe, on the other hand, was rambling on about how she didn't need them because grass wouldn't hurt if you fell on it. Miley rolled her eyes, glad that Nick was there to help.

-Miley's POV-

I sat in the chair, still watching Nick and Nikki. Joe had long given up and went to spend time with Emily instead. I couldn't help but smile at how cute Nick and Nikki were together. She had taken to him rather quickly, and he was so sweet to her. I drifted off into a daydream, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up to see Ryan standing at my side.

"Hey," I said, wrapping my arms around him.

"Miley, I need to talk to you." he said, causing my breathing to stop momentarily as I stared up at him, scared. The last time I had heard those words, my heart had shattered into a million pieces and I didn't know if I was ready for that to happen again.

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**I know I know… really mean cliffhanger. But it just felt like a good stopping point. On the bright side, how cute are Nick and Nikki together? Well I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll try hard to not make you guys wait too long for the next chapter, but it might be a little difficult. My school's spring fling carnival starts tomorrow and I have to work a couple of booths there so I'll be pretty busy. But I promise I'll try to find time to write.**


	11. Chapter 11

**So thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, they definitely gave me energy after the carnival to write! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story, I'm having a lot of fun writing it. I think I spend more time on this story than any English paper I had to write, and believe me trying to keep my perfect gpa to stay valedictorian of my class called for a lot of school work time. But for some reason, I can put school work aside for this story… which may not be a good thing. lol**

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**Chapter 10**

Ryan stood by the door, watching Miley. He decided now would be as good as any other time to talk to her, so he slowly walked over to where she was sitting and lightly tapped on her shoulder. "Miley, I need to talk to you." He could see her body tense at what she had heard, fear seeping into her eyes as she looked up at him. "Follow me," he said, offering his hand to her. She took one last glance at Nikki, placed her hand in his, and followed him inside the house and up to her room.

Miley sat down on her bed, her heart racing with anticipation. She didn't know what Ryan needed to talk to her about, but she was scared. Those seven words had brought back memories from four years ago she didn't want to relive. She waited patiently for what Ryan had to say, watching him pace back-and-forth in front of her.

-Miley's POV-

I followed him with my eyes, watching his every move, curious as to what he needed to talk to me about. From what I knew we were doing fine, we didn't have a fight or anything. At that moment, he stopped in his tracks, turning to me.

"Miley, do you love me?" Confusion wrapped my body as I sat there, surprised by what he had just asked. I thought that agreeing to marry him was enough evidence of that, but apparently not. "Of course I do," I answered.

"Why do you love me?" he asked, confusing me even more. I couldn't understand why he was asking me these questions. "Why are you all of a sudden asking me this?"

He locked eyes with me and I saw a look I had never seen on his face before. It seemed like it was a mixture of confusion and vulnerability. "Just answer me, I'll explain everything in the end."

I couldn't figure out exactly what was happening right now. But I did as he said, hoping to know the truth behind all this. "I love you because you were there for me when I needed someone the most." I said, walking over to him and wrapping my arms around him, looking him straight in the eyes. "You accidentally bumped into me that one day, four years ago in the grocery store and you have helped me ever since. You didn't know anything about me, I could have been a psycho who just broke out of the mental ward, but you didn't care. You helped me anyways. I love the way you love Nikki like she is your own, the way my family loves you, the way the Jonas' love you. You helped me piece my life back together when I thought it was the end of the world. But most importantly, you helped me piece my heart back together when it was ripped into pieces, and got me to love again."

He lead me back towards my bed, sitting down, motioning for me to sit beside him. He sighed, "Miley are you truly in love with me?"

My head snapped towards him, speechless by his question. I thought my little speech answered that. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath, looking me straight in the eye. "Miley I see the way you look at him, and it's not the same look you give me. But I understand that, he was your first love and the father of your child."

"Ryan, I-" I tried to interrupt him, to explain myself. But he stopped me.

"No, Miley just listen to me." he said, causing me to go silent. "The way you look at him is the way a person in love looks like, and the truth is he looks at you the same way. Today at the party, if no one knew the history you two had together, they would have thought you guys were madly in love."

"Ryan, that's the past. We gave up on that a long time ago."

"Miley, you may have given up but Nick hasn't. Yes, he broke your heart., but you two were only 18. He didn't understand what he was feeling, he thought pushing you away was the answer, he was naïve. But over the past four years he's grown up. He talks about you at work all the time, at least before he knew we were together." What Ryan was saying, caused my mind to swirl. It was too much to handle all at one time. "He never dated another girl because he had hope that you would come back one day. He knows he made a mistake, and he's suffered for it. Miley, he still loves you whether you want to believe it or not."

I sat there, staring at my wall. How was I suppose to respond to what Ryan was telling me?

"Miley, you have to tell him about Nikki. He deserves to know." He took a deep breath, taking my hand in his. "You need to give him another chance."

I turned towards him only to see that he was being completely serious. "But what about us?" I asked, moving my eyes to look at the engagement ring sitting on my ring finger.

**Meanwhile, with Emily and Joe.**

"So today was fun," Emily said, sitting in the grass with Joe. They were watching Nick, who had succeeded in teaching Nikki how to ride her tricycle.

"Uh huh," Joe murmured. They sat there in silence, watching Nick spending time with his daughter. "I want one."

"Want one what?" she questioned.

"A kid," Joe stated, making her turn towards him in surprise. "I want to be able to teach them to ride a bike and have someone call me daddy."

"Well maybe one day you will have that chance." Emily answered, wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning against him.

Joe shook his head. "I want one now."

"Well you're not getting one from me." Emily joked, laughing. "You better get yourself a wife first."

"How about you be my wife?"

Emily sat up, looking back at him, not saying a word. "Em, yoo hoo." Joe called, waving his hands in front of her face. "Earth to Emily."

She blinked, coming back to her senses. "What did you just say?"

"Marry me Em. Be my wife. Start a family with me." Joe said, pulling out a small, black box from his pocket. He had been carrying it around with him, waiting for the perfect moment. Now sitting under the stars, watching Nick and Nikki, dreaming of their future, seemed like the perfect moment to Joe. He opened the box, revealing a stunning white gold engagement ring. Taking her hand, he asked her again. "Em, will you be my wife?"

Tears were silently falling down her face. Her eyes darted between his face and the ring. She slowly nodded her head, "Yes Joe, I'll be your wife."

Joe quickly broke out into a smile, sliding the ring onto her finger. He looked up, wiping her tears away before pulling her into a kiss. "Let's go tell the family." he said, pushing himself up before helping Emily and headed inside.

**Back to Ryan and Miley. **

"Miley, I will always love you and I'll always be here for you if you need me. I don't want to hurt you. That was never my intention." She looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. "But I want you to be happy, and if that's not with me than I'm ok with that."

"Ryan…" Miley murmured. "I don't know what to say."

Ryan took her hands in his. "You don't have to say anything. I just want you to fix things with Nick so that Nikki will be able to have a father."

Miley sniffled. She knew he was right. Yes, she had fell in love with Ryan. But she was never able to give her whole heart to him because a part of it was kept locked up for Nick. "I think this belongs to you," she said, sliding the ring off of her finger and placing it in his hand. "I'm so sorry Ryan."

"Hey. You have nothing to be sorry about." Ryan replied, cupping her face in his hands. "Just promise me that you will talk to Nick and tell him the truth."

Miley nodded, "I promise" she whispered.

At that moment, they heard a loud commotion coming from the living room.

"Miley. Ryan. Can you two come to the living room please?" They heard Tish call through the intercom system. Miley walked over to the wall. "We're coming mom." She turned back to Ryan, wiping her tears. "We should go downstairs."

Ryan got up from the bed and walked over to the door, stopping to wait for Miley. She took a look in the mirror, applying a little more make-up to cover up the puffiness in her eyes. She laced her hand with Ryan's. "Can we not announce the news until later?" Ryan nodded, giving her a light kiss on the forehead and led her downstairs.

-Miley's POV-

I headed down the stairs, taking one step at a time, trying to process everything that just happened. In a matter of minutes, I went from having a fiancé to having no one. I glanced over at Ryan, who was deep in though, and wondered why God had lead me to him. He was so considerate of her feelings, even if it meant that he would be heartbroken.

We walked into the living room, where everyone was in smiles, congratulating Joe and Emily. "What's going on?" I asked, letting go of Ryan's hand.

"I'm getting married!" Emily squealed, causing my ears to ring. "Can you believe it Miley? I'm getting married!" she exclaimed, dancing around me.

"Congratulations Em, Joe." I said, pulling them into a hug.

"Looks like you're not the only one getting married Miles." Joe said. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation. Just as my engagement was ending, another one was beginning. "Yeah, it looks that way Joe." I said, a smile on my face.

I sat on the couch, watching as everyone was looking at Emily's engagement ring. I couldn't help but look down at my bare hands, and that's when I knew. No matter how long I wanted to keep the news to myself, no other time was as perfect as now. Looking up I caught Ryan's eye. He seemed to know what I was thinking and made his way to my side, clearing his throat. "Miley and I… we have some news." he announced, causing everyone to turn towards us.

At that moment, I was nervous. My heart was pounding in my ears as everyone watched us. Ryan gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, encouraging me. "We…" I said, scanning the faces of the people looking at us. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes to prevent the tears from coming. "Have decided to not get married." I heard everyone gasps, but no one said a word. Slowly, I opened my eyes only to see everyone staring back in shock.

"But why?" my dad asked, finally breaking through the tension that filled the room.

"We both decided we were on different paths in life and couldn't be together," I explained, my eyes falling to the ground.

"It was a mutual decision," I heard Ryan say beside me.

The room fell silent again, everyone was busy with their own thoughts. I cleared my throat, "It's late, I should put Nikki to bed." I walked over to her, "come on sweetie." I bent down, picking her up and headed upstairs.

-No one's POV-

"We're really sorry Ryan," Mrs. Jonas exclaimed, giving Ryan a hug.

"It's ok. We talked about it and decided it was better off if we didn't go through with it. We didn't want to realize it was a mistake when it was too late." he explained to the confused group.

Nick was silent. Miley was a free woman again. Maybe it wasn't too late for them, he thought to himself but quickly shook the thought out of his mind.

"Well that was enough excitement for one day," Mr. Jonas said, standing up. Mrs. Jonas nodded, "It's late, we should get home kids. I'm sure the Cyrus' have a lot to do."

"Thank you for coming over and celebrating with us." Tish exclaimed. "Congratulations again Emily and Joe," she said, giving them another hug. She walked them to the door, watching as they left, Ryan and Ashley following behind them. Turning back around, she returned to the living room, taking a seat on the couch.

The Cyrus family were still shocked by the news. They sat in the living room, waiting for Miley to return. No one said a word, they were all too busy trying to think of reasons for the couple to call off their engagement. They looked up when they heard Miley walking down the stairs.

"Everyone's still up?" Miley asked as if nothing was wrong. She walked over to the couch, sitting beside Brandi.

"What happened?" Brandi asked. Miley knew this was coming. "We just decided it wasn't working out."

"But there has to be a reason. You guys wouldn't just decide to not get married over nothing." Brandi said, clearly not letting go.

Miley sighed, getting up. "I'm just gonna get some fresh air," and with that she walked out into the backyard. She wasn't out there for long when she heard the door close behind her. "I'm fine Brandi," she said, turning around to see her mom. "Oh hey mom, I thought you were Brandi."

"What's really going on Miles?" Tish asked. Miley looked off into the distance, not wanting to answer her mom's question. "Miles?"

Miley let out a heavy sigh, turning around to meet her mom's gaze. "He broke it off mom." she cried, breaking down into her mom's arms. "He broke off the engagement because I'm still in love with Nick." Miley suddenly covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide. Saying it out loud meant that it was true, and she had tried hard to cover up that fact from the people around her and from herself.

"Oh baby," Tish exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug making Miley cry harder. "It will be ok. Everything will work out. It may seem like everything is falling apart now, but I know it will get better." She stroked Miley's hair, letting her release her emotions she had bottled up.

After crying for what seemed like hours, Miley ran out of tears. She sat in her mother's arm, feeling as helpless as the night Nick had broken up with her four years ago.

_Miley ran home the minute she stepped out of the Nick's house. She burst through the front door, calling out for her mom. "Mommy!" she cried with desperation in her voice, causing Tish to come running down the stairs._

"_Miley? Miley, what's wrong? What happened?" Tish asked, concerned about her daughter._

_Miley ran into her mother's arm, needing some sort of comfort. Tish guided her into the living room, sitting down on the couch. "It's ok sweetie. Tell me what happened." she coaxed, stroking her daughter's hair, trying her best to calm her down._

"_Nick. He. Broke. Up. With. Me." Miley said in between gasps of breath, tears streaming down her face._

"_Shhh… it's ok sweetie. It's not the end of the world." _

"_It is mom. It is the end of the world. Nick was my world mom." Miley exclaimed, making herself cry harder. Tish didn't know how to make her daughter calm down, so she sat there, holding her, letting her cry. Miley calmed down after non-stop crying, her eyes dried out of tears. She looked up at her mom, her eyes red. "Mom, I'm pregnant with his child."_

_Tish sat there, stunned. "Are you sure?" Miley only nodded her head. "Have you told him?" Still, Miley didn't say anything, shaking her head no. "You have to tell him Miley."_

"_NO!" Miley cried out, startling her mother. "I can't mom. Not after what he's done."_

"_Miley. You can't not tell him. He's going to find out sooner or later." Tish reasoned. "There is no way he's not going to notice after you start showing and you can't avoid him since you live next to each other."_

"_Yes, I can mom." Miley whispered._

"_What do you mean you can? Are you going to stay cooped up in the house for nine months?" Tish questioned._

"_No mom. I'm going to move away." Miley said, completely serious about her decision._

"_You are not!" Billy Ray yelled, walking in from the hallway where he was listening the whole time. "There is no way I'm letting you move away."_

"_But daddy I've already made up my mind." Miley whined, standing up. "And you won't change my decision!"_

"_Baby, just because one guy breaks your heart doesn't mean that you can run away from your problems. Moving will not solve anything."_

"_But I can't stay dad. I can't live next to him knowing that he gave up on us." Miley argued, on the verge of tears. "Moving may not solve anything, but it will help with the pain."_

"_What about the baby Miley?" Tish asked._

_Miley shook her head. "He doesn't need to know. He has a whole life ahead of him that a baby will keep him from. I don't want to do that to him."_

"_But what about you?" Billy Ray asked. "What about Hannah Montana?"_

"_I don't want it dad. I just want to start over somewhere away from here. I want to be able to raise this child without the public."_

_Billy Ray looked at Tish, asking her what she thought. She nodded, knowing what Billy Ray was asking her. He sighed, not wanting to let his baby go. "If that's what you really want Miley."_

"_It is dad. It's what I want."_

"_Then I'll make the phone calls." he said, walking out of the room and into his office. Miley looked at her mom, breaking down into fresh sobs._

"Miley, it's time you tell Nick the truth." Tish said, breaking the silence. "If he doesn't want anything to do with you and Nikki then at least you won't keep wondering if he would."

Miley nodded, knowing that her mom was right and remembering the promise she made to Ryan. "I will mom."

Nick sat at his desk, looking at the picture of Miley he kept hidden. He quickly put it away, shutting the drawer when he heard his door open. "I just wanted to check in with you," Ryan said.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Nick asked, genuinely concerned about him. "You didn't have to come in today if you didn't feel up to it."

Ryan walked in, taking a seat. "I'm fine really. It was a mutual decision. We knew we were better off this way."

"Well I'm glad you're ok." Nick said.

"Yea… It is hard, but I know she'll be better off this way." Ryan said, confusing Nick. "Well I have some calls to make, and interviews to set up for you guys. So I'll just get to work."

Nick watched as Ryan got up, walking out of his office. He spent the rest of the day wondering what Ryan had meant when he said "she was better off this way." He drove home at the end of the day, still racking his brain about the statement Ryan had made. He pushed it out of his mind as he walked into his house. "Mom, I'm home" Nick called out but got no reply. He figured no one was home and walked upstairs. He stopped in his tracks when he heard giggling from the game room. Nick slowly made his way over to the door, finding Frankie and Nikki playing with toys.

"Oh hey Nick." Frankie said when he realized he was standing at the door. "Just got home?"

"Uncle Nick! Come play!" Nikki called out. Nick smiled, walking into the room and taking a seat next to Nikki. "Where's mom Frankie?"

"Her and Miley had to run some errands so I got stuck baby-sitting."

"It can't be that bad," Nick said, watching Nikki.

"It's not, but after spending hours with this girl you start to get tired. Can you believe she doesn't take naps? She's like this all day. I have no idea where she gets all this energy from." Frankie exclaimed.

Nick laughed. "Well how about I give you a break?"

Frankie didn't need to be asked twice. "That would be great! I actually needed to go see some friends." he said, running out of the room.

"So Nikki, what would you like to do?" Nick asked, turning his attention towards the toddler.

"I don't know," she replied.

"Are you hungry?" She shook her head. "Thirsty?" Again her answer was no. Nick thought for a moment. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Okay!" Nikki cried, bouncing with excitement.

"What would you like to watch?" Nick asked. But she just sat there, not answering him. "Ok, I guess I'll just pick something to watch then" He walked up to the TV, popping in his favorite movie, Finding Neverland. He sat back down on the couch, Nikki scooting closer to him, snuggling into him. Before the movie even ended, they both had fallen asleep, Nikki laying on Nick, his arm around her.

Denise and Miley walked into the house, exhausted from running around town all day. "Thank you for helping me dear," Mrs. Jonas said, setting the bags down.

"It was no problem," Miley said, putting the bags she was holding down. "Do you need anything else?"

"No that should be it Miley."

"Ok then, I'll just go get Nikki and head home then." Miley said, looking around for some sign of where Nikki and Frankie were.

"They are probably upstairs. I think I heard the TV on up there." Denise said.

Miley headed towards the stairs, walking into the game room to find Nick and Nikki fast asleep. She stood at the door for a moment, watching the two. She sighed, walking over to them. She gently lifted Nick's arm, trying not to wake him. But he stirred in his sleep, opening his eyes. Miley quickly let go of his arm, turning red. "Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok," Nick said, shifting slightly trying his best to not wake Nikki up, placing her on the end of the couch. "I didn't realize we fell asleep."

"Where's Frankie? I thought he was baby-sitting."

"Oh he said Nikki wore him out, so I thought I would give him a break." Nick answered. "But apparently, he wore Nikki out too."

Miley giggled, "I guess so."

Nick stared at her, observing her actions. "So how are you?"

She looked at him, surprised that he was comfortable enough to ask her about that subject. She smiled, "I'm ok. We ended things on good terms."

Nick frowned, remembering their break-up. "It must be hard on Nikki."

It was Miley's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

"She's losing her father. I mean, you and Ryan not getting married means that she's not going to be able to live with both of her parents. I didn't mean that she was losing her father in that way. You know…" Nick rambled, regretting bringing up this project.

-Miley's POV-

I stood there, listening to Nick ramble on. It hit me that he thought Ryan was Nikki's father, and I couldn't help but be amused as I watched him struggle with what he was saying. I took a deep breath, telling myself that it was time. So I shut down my brain, who was trying to tell me otherwise. "Nick?" I interrupted. "There's something you should know."

I waited for him to quiet down before continuing. "What is it?" he asked.

"Ryan isn't Nikki's biological father. He was just the one who was there since she was born." I began, not giving myself time to chicken out. I watched as his expression change from curiosity to confusion. "What are you trying to say Miley?"

I let out a heavy sigh, there was no turning back now. "Nick…" I paused, taking a deep breath. "You're Nikki's biological father." I said, not looking him in the eye.

I worked up the courage to look at him after he didn't respond. He sat there, stunned. "Nick? Did you hear me?" I asked, waving my hands in front of his face.

"What?" he said, his voice shaking. This time, I looked him straight in the eyes, surprised by my courage. "You're Nikki's father." I repeated.

"WHAT!?" he shouted this time, startling Nikki awake. I looked down to the ground. "I can't be" he said, obviously mad

"I knew it." I said, scooping Nikki up from the couch. " I just knew it. I shouldn't have told you." I practically yelled, angered by what he said. I turned on my heels, making my way out of the house as fast as I could. "I knew it. I should have just kept it from him." I mumbled to myself, while Nikki just stared at me like I was crazy.

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**It finally happened. Miley told Nick. I think I could have written it a little bit better, but my brain is just not working right now. So sorry if its not the best writing.**

**But anyways, in honor of the carnival being over I decided to update! Plus I was happy with the way things turned out this weekend. One of my booths I was working did pie in the face with teachers, which was a huge success. It was fun watching my teachers get hit in the face pie after pie, although I did get more whipped cream on me than I wanted too. But it was all worth it because we were able to raise close to 300 to add to the 5,000 we had already raised for the American Cancer Society. So I have to say it was a pretty successful weekend for me.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

Miley stormed out of the house, fuming from her conversation with Nick. "Everyone was wrong. I should have just kept it myself. I'm so stupid!" She was too busy scolding herself to notice the looks her daughter was giving her.

"Mom why are you mad at uncle Nick?" she asked, bringing Miley back to the real world. Miley sighed, looking at the toddler. She set her down in the grass when she reached her front yard, sitting down next to her.

"It's complicated." she said, pulling Nikki onto her lap. "But you'll understand one day sweetie." She gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead, looking into her brown eyes. All she could think about was Nick. She glanced back towards his house, hoping he would come looking for her. She waited, just sitting in her front yard, but he never came. Miley sighed, standing up. "Let's go get you washed up for dinner." she said, leading Nikki inside.

After dinner, Miley decided to get some fresh air to clear her mind. She took out a light jacket from the hall closet, pulled on her uggs, placed her phone in her pocket, and walked out the front door. She stood there for a moment, the cool wind blowing all around her. Wrapping her jacket tighter around her, she walked down her porch and too the black iron gate. She wrapped her hand around it, pushing it open and started walking. She didn't get very far when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She jumped letting out a high-pitch scream, causing the neighborhood dogs to start barking and porch lights to turn on.

-Miley's POV-

The stranger burst out laughing, and I immediately knew who it was. I turned around, glaring at him. "Warn a person will ya? You almost gave me a heart-attack Joe."

"Sorry," Joe said, trying to fight back his laughter. "I didn't mean to scare you, but you should have seen the look on your face."

I rolled my eyes at him and continued walking down the street. "Where are you going Miles?" he asked, walking beside me.

I shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I just felt like getting out of the house."

"Mind if I join you?"

"I don't care," I replied. We walked around in silence with no real destination in mind. After what seemed like hours, but really only 15 minutes, I found myself at the park. "Wow, I haven't been here in forever."

"Yeah…" Joe mumbled. "I remember when we all use to come down here just to play."

I laughed, remembering those days. We walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, still not saying anything. I let my eyes wander around, taking in all the familiar sights.

"_Race you to the slide Nick!" Miley said, taking off at full speed towards the playground._

"_HEY! You're cheating!" Nick yelled, running after her._

"_Keep up Jonas," Miley yelled, looking over her shoulder. She flashed her million-dollar smile, taking Nick's breath away. "I win." she said, standing at the bottom of the ladder panting for air._

"_Well then I guess I have to give you prize," Nick grinned, leaning in. Miley closed her eyes, waiting with anticipation._

"_Hey you two! None of that!" Joe yelled, while Emily and Kevin stood behind him laughing. _

_Nick blushed, looking at Miley. "I guess you'll just have to give me my prize later," Miley said with a grin. "But until then…" Miley took off running again, only this time towards the group, tackling Joe to the ground. "You're it!"_

"_Ohhh… you are so dead Miles!" Joe groaned. Miley laughed, standing up. "Not if you can't catch me," she taunted, running again._

_For the rest of the afternoon, the five teens played like they never played before. Running around the whole park, tackling each other to the ground, and just having fun. _

"What are you thinking about?" Joe asked after a couple of minutes.

Miley smiled at her memory, "the good old days. Do you remember? This is where we would all come the day before one of us would go on tour, and the day we came back."

Joe broke out into a smile. "Remember the time we called you and Emily to meet us here and ended up spraying you guys with water guns? That was priceless!"

"And very cold," Miley laughed.

She fell silent again, retreating back to her thoughts. "What's bothering you?" Joe asked, interrupting her.

"Why do you think something's wrong?" Miley asked, faking innocence.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Miley, I know you too well for you to lie to me. You're only quiet when something is bothering you. Other than that I can't shut you up if I wanted too."

She let out a sigh. "I told him," she said nonchalantly.

"So that must be why…" Joe said more to himself than to Miley. She looked up, curious as to what he meant. "What do you mean?" she questioned, looking at him.

"Well when I got home, he was in his room. He skipped dinner, said he wasn't feeling good and mom said he hasn't said anything to anybody since you left the house." Joe watched her as her eyes fell to the ground. "I'm guessing it didn't go so well then?"

She shook her head, staring intently at a leaf on the ground, trying not to cry. "He got mad."

Joe put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards him. "Don't let it get to you. He just overreacted. I mean, how else would you react to news like that?" Joe put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "He'll come around Miles. He just needs time for it to soak in."

"I know…" Miley replied. "I just didn't expect him to start yelling." They sat in the park for a little while longer before heading home. "Thanks for spending time with me Joe." she said, pulling him in for a hug. "No problem Miles."

Joe waited until she closed the door behind her before walking back to his house. He stopped on his porch, sitting down on the swing. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Kevin's number.

"Hello?" Kevin answered.

"Brother intervention," was all Joe had to say.

"I'll be right over," Kevin said, hanging up the phone.

Joe leaned back on the swing, closing his eyes. They knew this day would come and had prepared for this talk for over four years. But Joe couldn't help but feel nervous. Five minutes didn't even pass when Kevin walked up the porch steps. "You ready?" he asked, looking at Joe.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Joe replied, opening the front door.

"Miley?" Billy Ray called out when he heard the front door close.

Miley stood in the hallway, putting on the best smile she could find and walked into the living room. "Yea, daddy?"

"Where have you been?" he asked, concern laced in his voice.

"Sorry, I ran into Joe during my walk and we went down to the park and talked."

"Can you at least call if you're going to stay out late? You're mom and I were about to lose our hair worrying about you."

Miley chuckled, picturing her dad without hair. "Sorry, I guess I lost track of time."

"So is there anything you need to tell us?" Tish asked, observing her daughter.

"No. Why do you ask?" Miley replied, acting oblivious.

"Well Nikki said you and Nick were yelling at each other today. What was all that about?" Tish asked.

"Oh that." Miley mumbled, looking down to the ground. "He didn't respond to well when I told him the news."

Tish pulled her daughter into her arms, embracing her in a hug. "I'm sure he'll come around. He just needs time."

Miley nodded. "I know." She pulled away, heading towards the stairs. "I'm just gonna go to bed early." She walked upstairs, getting straight into bed. She laid there, staring at the ceiling, thinking of what to do next.

Joe and Kevin walked into the house, seeing their parents and Frankie watching TV. "You're here late Kevin," Mrs. Jonas commented.

"Mom, Dad, he knows." Joe stated, causing his parents to look up from the TV.

"That must have been what all the yelling was about." Denise said. Joe nodded his head. "Miley said he didn't react too well."

"I guess it's time." Mr. Jonas said. Kevin nodded and headed towards the stairs, Joe following behind him. They stopped in front of Nick's door, the sounds of a guitar being played coming from behind the door.

Kevin took a deep breath, extended his hand and knocked on the door. "Nick? We need to talk." he called through the door. They waited while they heard Nick shuffling around in his room. It wasn't long before Nick opened the door, "about what?" Joe eyed him up and down. He was still in his work clothes and his hair was disheveled. "Come downstairs, mom and dad are waiting." Joe said, turning his back and walking down to the living room.

They were all seated around the coffee table when Nick walked downstairs. He had changed, and apparently had combed his hair. He could feel the tension growing as he sat next to Frankie. "Did someone die?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Nick, sweetie, we know about Nikki." Denise said, startling Nick.

"Did Miley tell you?" Nick questioned, ashamed to look his family in the eye.

"Well yes," Denise started, scared to answer that question truthfully. Nick was usually the calm one of her four boys, but if you hit the wrong nerve he could become scary.

"Why is it that she does that? The minute something goes wrong she goes running to you." Nick rambled, irritated that Miley had decided to tell his family without talking to him first.

"She told us four years ago son," Paul said, correcting Nick's assumptions. Nick's eyes grew as big as saucers at what his dad had said. "What?"

"Nick, she told us before she moved." Kevin said. "All those business trips we told you we were going on were actually trips to visit her and Nikki."

"You've all been lying to me? You? Miley? The Cyrus'? All of you?" Nick questioned, raising his voice. He stood up, glaring at his family. "I thought you guys were just as oblivious as me, but apparently I was the only fool."

"Nick, honey…"

"No mom! You can't make everything better now." Nick yelled. "I thought finding out I have a daughter for the past four years was bad enough. It's even worse to find out my own family has kept it from me."

Joe winced at what his brother was saying. He loved him, but he loved Miley too and now he understood why she was so afraid to tell him. He stood up, towering over Nick. "Don't you get it? She knew you would react this way. That's why she left. She left to spare you from cutting your dream short and becoming a teenage father. Haven't you even stopped to consider her feelings?"

Nick was taken aback by what Joe was saying to him. His own brother was taking up for a girl he barely knew anymore. "Consider her feelings? She didn't consider my feelings when she left four years ago." Nick screamed, running up to his room and slamming the door shut.

"It's ok," Mrs. Jonas said, placing a hand on Joe's shoulder. "He just needs time to calm down and think."

A week passed and Nick was still angry. He stayed away from home as much as he could, and didn't say a word to anyone. He ignored Miley on the rare occasion they ran into each other, acting as if she didn't exist. Most of the time he sat at his desk at work, thinking of everything that had happened in the past week. But most of his thoughts revolved around Miley and Nikki. He finally had the family he always wanted in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to claim them.

Miley was at Ryan's house, sitting in the living room with Ashley, Kevin, Joe, Emily, Cyndi, and of course Ryan. For the past week they had tried to spend as much time with Miley as they could, they knew she needed people even if she denied it. Denise and Paul had taken Nikki to the zoo with Frankie and Noah for the day, giving Miley some time to relax. But relaxation was the farthest thing from Miley's thoughts.

For the past week she waited for Nick to come to her. She would sit on her balcony, staring at his window. She would time it to where he was leaving for work and walk outside just as he was. But he never looked at her, and she never said a word to him. She lost a little ounce of hope every time he walked away from her. Everyone kept telling her that all he needed was time, but time was passing by before Miley's eyes.

"Guys?" Miley said, interrupting the group's conversation. "I have some news."

"What is it?" Emily asked, seeing the despair in Miley's eyes. Everyone was concentrated on Miley, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"I think I'm going to move back to Nashville."

Kevin stood up. "What?"

"Why?" Joe asked, standing alongside Kevin.

"You can't just run away every time you run into a problem Miley," Ryan said, trying to reason with her. But she didn't want to listen to them.

"I'm not running away," she said, shaking her head. "I'm just not happy here."

Ashley walked over to Miley, wrapping her arms around her. "Miley I know you're hurting over the Nick situation, but there's nothing in Nashville for you. Everyone who loves you is here, right in front of you."

"But there's one person who won't even look at me," Miley said, sadness in her voice.

"What about Nikki?" Cyndi asked. "She's grown attached to Nick already."

"She doesn't know he's her father, and with the way Nick reacted, I think I'm going to keep it that way."

"But Miley…" Emily cried out in desperation. But Miley had made her decision, and she wouldn't let anyone of them change her mind.

They tried to convince her to stay. Telling her that Nick just needed more time and that he would come around sooner or later. But Miley was done waiting for him. She didn't have time to just wait around for him to come to her. She had a life to live, a daughter to raise, with or without him.

After Miley left Ryan's house, still set on moving, Joe rushed out of the house. He sped home, bursting into the house, looking for Nick. "Nick!" Joe called, running up the stairs to his room, pounding on his door. "Nick open up right now!"

Nick finally opened his door, annoyed with Joe. "What do you want?"

"Well if mom would let me I would physically beat some sense into you," Joe sneered. "But since she won't tolerate violence, I have to resort to yelling instead."

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked, confused as to why Joe was angry.

Joe pushed pass Nick, walking into the center of his room. "What are you thinking Nick?" Joe asked, turning around to face him. "Why are you pushing her away again? Do you remember how many times you cried in the past four years? How many girls you wouldn't go out on dates with? Why aren't you taking this second chance?"

"What does it matter to you what I do with my life?" Nick retorted.

"I want to see you happy and I want to see Miley happy. Her and Ryan broke off the engagement so she could give you a second chance. Don't make her regret her decision."

Nick was surprised by what Joe said. He didn't know that they had broken off the engagement because of him.

"She's decided to move back to Tennessee Nick. She said she's done waiting for you. You've made her lose hope."

"What?" Nick exclaimed. "She's moving?"

"Well not yet. But that's what she said she's doing." Joe softened his voice, placing his hand on his little brother's shoulders. "Unless you stop her."

Miley was walking around her room, trying to decide how to tell her parents she wanted to move again. She knew she was running away again, but what else could she do? She was deep in thought when she heard a soft knock on her balcony door. She let out a sigh, walking over to the door. "Nick?" She stood there, doubting who was standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?" she said, barely audible.

"Miley, we should talk?"

"Now you want to talk? You couldn't talk when I told you?" Miley snapped, still resentful about the way he reacted.

"Look Miles, I'm sorry. I was just shocked. How do you expect me to react to that kind of news?" he asked. "I know I should have come to you sooner, but I'm stubborn." He looked at her with those brown eyes, making her knees weak. "Can I come in?"

Miley hesitated for a second but stepped to the side, letting him in. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Miley you can't move." he pleaded, sounding desperate.

"So is that the only reason you came over to talk to me? You're only talking to me because you found out I was moving?"

"Well yes… and no." he took a step closer to her, but she quickly backed away. "Miley please just listen to me.

She crossed her arms across her chest, putting up a strong front. "I'm listening."

"I know the way I reacted wasn't the best and I'm sorry. But Miley I want to redeem myself. I want to be in Nikki's life. I want to be in your life. Please don't move."

Miley stood there, trying not to give into his words. "Why shouldn't I leave?"

"You took Nikki away from me once. You can't do it to me again, especially now that I know. I've fallen for her and you can't take her away from me."

Miley tried her hardest to stay strong, but what Nick was saying made her heart melt. "You're right, I can't take her away from you again." Miley whispered.

Nick broke out into a smile. "So does that mean you're not moving?"

"No, I'm not moving." she said, giving into him. "But you make one mistake and I will change my decision."

Nick nodded. "I'll take that." He hesitated, trying a second time to step closer to her. This time she stood where she was, not moving away. "I'm serious Nick. You mess up once and I have the choice to pick up and move."

"I understand. I promise that I will try my hardest to be the best father to Nikki." he said, meaning every word.

Miley sat on her bed, looking at Nick. Should she believe him? He walked out on her when things got bad between them last time. What's to say that he won't do it again? It wasn't just her feelings she had to consider, she had to think about Nikki also.

"What about us?" he asked. Miley looked up, her face blank. She could let him into Nikki's life, but she wasn't going to let him into her life that easily. "I want to give us another try," he said.

"No." Miley simply said, shaking her head. He looked hurt by her response. Nick was definitely not expecting her to turn him down after learning she broke off her engagement because of him. "I can't let you back in that easily Nick."

"But does that mean that maybe one day we can?" Nick asked, still having hope.

"Maybe…" Miley said. "Just not right now. I'm not emotionally ready for that. But we'll see."

"I understand," Nick said, looking down to the ground. "We can be friends though right?"

"I'd like that."

* * *

**Lots going on in this chapter. I had about a dozen of ideas popping in my head and tried to write them all in. I was kinda in a rush so it might seem sloppy. But I hope you guys like it anyways.**

**So I was watching the last One Tree Hill show, and I know this doesn't pertain to Hannah Montana or anything, but I had to say how creepy the nanny is. She totally freaked me out!**

**I also gotta say that I absolutely love the reviews. It definitely make my day! You guys don't know, I sit at school or at work and all I want to do is go home and check my email to see if I recieved any new reviews because I love hearing what you guys think of my story. So review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Before I start my story I have something to say. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! You guys went way beyond the 100 mark for reviews! So thank you to all the loyal readers who review every chapter, and to everyone who took some time to leave me one! You guys are the ones I write for…. THANK YOU!**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Miley decided that she needed to spend some quality mother-daughter time with Nikki today. She walked hand-in-hand with her daughter, heading towards the park. She had plenty of good and bad memories at the park so it was the best place to take her daughter too. The moment they stepped onto the mulch of the playground, Nikki ran off towards the play set, Miley close behind her. They spent the afternoon swinging on the swings, sliding down the slide, and monkeying around on the monkey bars.

After an hour of non-stop play, Miley sat down on the bench trying to catch her breath. She watched her daughter, who had no care in the world, the way Miley wished she was. Her and Nick had talked about what would happen next, and decided that Nick had a right to spend time with his daughter. The only thing Miley had to do was break the news to Nikki. She took a deep breath, calling Nikki over. She waited while Nikki came running to her side. "Yes momma?"

Looking into her daughter's chocolate brown eyes, she pulled her onto her lap. "Nikki, do you remember what I told you about your daddy?"

Nikki nodded, looking up at her mother. "You told me that he love me and that he misses me everyday. But he can't be with me because he has to live far away from us."

"That's right baby." Miley hugged her daughter, a tear sliding down her face. Nikki was only four years old but she was already the most mature toddler you would ever set your eyes on. "Nikki, do you like Uncle Nick?"

Miley watched as her daughter broke out into a smile, her eyes twinkling. "I love Uncle Nick! He always plays with me, even if he's tired." Miley sat patiently, listening to her daughter ramble on about all the time she had spent with Nick. She was surprised by what Nikki said next. "I wish Uncle Nick could be my daddy."

"You really want Uncle Nick to be your daddy sweetheart?"

"Yes." she said, matter-of-factly.

"What if I told you Uncle Nick was your daddy?"

"Really?" Nikki exclaimed, excitement running through her body. "Uncle Nick is my daddy?"

Miley was glad her daughter was taking it so well, but then again she was lucky that Nikki was four and not fourteen. "Yes baby. He is." Miley watched as Nikki slid off her lap, jumping up and down.

"Can we go see Uncle Nick?"

Miley laughed at how silly her daughter was being. "We can." Miley said, standing up. "But first, it's not Uncle Nick anymore. You can call him daddy now."

"Let's go!" Nikki whined, pulling at her mother's hand.

Miley walked down the street listening to the constant ramblings of Nikki. They reached Nick's house, knocking on the door. They waited, Nikki somewhat impatiently, until Denise opened the door letting the girls in. "Miley, it's a surprise to see you here," she said, giving Miley a hug "and how are you today Princess Nikki?"

Nikki giggled, giving Denise a kiss. "I wanted to see my daddy grandma Jonas."

Denise looked up at Miley, her eyes full of shock. Miley nodded her head, letting Denise know that she told Nikki. "Well Nikki, daddy isn't home right now." she said as she watched her granddaughter's face fall. "But he should be home soon. Uncle Frankie is upstairs." Nikki bolted up the stairs right after Denise said that, causing Miley to giggle.

"So I'm guessing she took the news well." Denise said, walking towards the kitchen. Miley followed her, sitting down on a stool at the kitchen island.

"She was more excited than shocked." Miley told Denise, laughing at her daughter. "I'm really lucky for a daughter like Nikki."

Denise looked at Miley with warm eyes. "She is one unique child and she's lucky to have a mother like you."

Miley blushed at the compliment Denise had just given her. "Well I wouldn't be able to be a great mother if it wasn't for you and my own." She pulled the older women into a hug, thanking her for everything she had done for her.

-Nick's POV-

It had been a long day and all I felt like doing was go home and relax. I pulled into the driveway, stretching as I stepped out of the car. Walking to the front door, I looked up at the all too familiar window next door but saw that it was pitch black in the room. I sighed, opening the door. I took a step inside closing the door behind me. I turned around and was nearly knocked to the ground by a little girl… my little girl.

"Daddy!" I heard her cry out, knocking the breath out of me. I looked up when I saw the kitchen door open seeing Miley walk into the living room. I gave her a questionable look. "Daddy?"

"Well what do you expect her to call you?" Miley asked, anger slipping into her tone. I quickly caught the mistake in my question, trying to apologize for it.

"Miley, that's not what I meant. I was just surprised that she knows." I said quickly, trying to explain myself.

Miley's cheeks turned a slight pink as she realized she had overreacted. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I guess I'm still a little overprotective."

"I understand," I said as I bent down on one knee, getting eye-level with Nikki. "Hey little one. Who are you calling daddy?" I joked with her, glancing up at Miley.

She let out an adorable laugh, her eyes bright with happiness. "You silly." she said, pointing her little finger at me.

I stood up, walking towards the couch holding my daughter's hand. Sitting down on the couch, I pulled her onto my lap. I watched as Miley took a seat on the couch across from us. We were one step closer to being a family. "She wanted to come see you," Miley said.

"Daddy?" Nikki asked. I looked down, giving her my full attention. "Why couldn't you live with us?"

I looked up at Miley, not understanding what the little girl was asking me. She looked panicked. "Nikki, I thought you understood that daddy couldn't be with us because he worked far away." I finally realized that that was what Miley used as an excuse to explain my absence.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be with you Nikki, but I promise I'll make up for it." I said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

-No one's POV-

Miley and Nick had worked out a schedule for Nick to spend time with Nikki. He mostly took her on weekends when he was not working, but would at least stop by after work everyday to see how the day went. He was thoroughly enjoying his fatherhood, spoiling Nikki every chance he could and displeasing Miley every time he did. Miley was happy that Nikki finally had a father and loved the way Nick was taking responsibility for her.

It was early Saturday morning, and Miley woke up with a fever. She rolled over, groaning at the sun shining through her window. Stumbling out of bed, she made her way over to the intercom system by the door, calling Noah.

"Yeah Miley?" Noah replied.

"Will you come see please? But don't bring Nikki with you." she asked. She made her way back over to the bed, crawling under the covers.

"You needed me?" Noah asked, popping her head through the door to see her sister curled up under the covers. "You don't look so good."

"I don't feel good either." Miley snapped. "Where's mom and dad?"

"They left this morning to go to New York for the weekend on a business trip."

"Great," Miley moaned. "What are you doing today?"

"Sorry Miley, I already have plans."

"Fine…" Miley whined, pulling the covers over her head. She laid there, thinking of what to do. She couldn't take care of Nikki today. She was scared Nikki would catch what she had, and nothing was worse than a sick four-year-old. After thinking for the longest time she finally popped out from under her covers, receiving confused looks from Noah "Will you get Nikki's things together and take her next door for me?"

"Sure, I'm about to head out anyways. I'll drop her off on my way out."

"Thanks," Miley replied, turning over. She, once again, pulled the covers over her head, shutting out the bright light streaming through the window. She was about to fall into a deep sleep when Noah's voice came through the intercom, startling Miley awake. "Miley, I'm heading out."

Noah walked next door, Nikki right behind her. She knocked on the door of the Jonas house, waiting for someone to answer.

Nick shuffled over to the door, cereal bowl in hand. "Hey Noah, what are you doing here?"

"Miley asked me to drop Nikki off over here. She's sick and doesn't want Nikki to catch whatever she has." Noah answered, placing Nikki's bag by the door.

"Is she okay?" Nick asked, concerned about her.

"She's been in bed all morning, but she looks miserable." Noah said, letting go of Nikki's hand. "I should be going."

Nick watched as Noah headed off down the street. He closed the door, turning around to face his daughter. "So it looks like you're stuck with me kiddo." He sat down on the couch, Nikki sitting next to him. They watched the Disney channel together, Nick feeding Nikki some of his cereal.

The two spent the day together, bonding. Nick had gotten use to being a dad fairly quickly, but then again Nikki was an easy child to please. He tried to keep her entertained, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Miley sick in bed. Nick decided to distract Nikki by putting on a movie. He sat on the couch, Nikki sitting next to him. It wasn't long before she passed out, tired from running around all morning.

He took the opportunity to check up on Miley. He reached for his phone, dialing Miley's number. After five rings he was about to hang up when he heard her answer.

"Hello?" she croaked, sounding horrible.

"Miley?"

"Nick? Is something wrong with Nikki?"

Nick laughed at how dramatic Miley was. "No, she's fine. She's sleeping right now. I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine," she said, sending her into a couching fit. "I'm more miserable though."

"Sounds that way," Nick said, worrying about her. "Why don't I come over?"

"No, it's ok. I'm fine." She said, trying to reassure Nick. But he was anywhere but close to being calm.

"Are you sure Miles?"

"I'm fine Nick. Just keep an eye on Nikki a little while longer. I'll have Noah pick her up when she gets home."

"Don't worry about it. Why don't I keep her overnight for you?"

"If it's not too much of a hassle for you."

"Not at all. I'm sure mom wouldn't mind either."

"Well thank you Nick." she said. "I think I'm gonna go back to sleep, but call me if you need anything."

"Sure will. Feel better." he hung up, glancing over at the little girl still peacefully sleeping.

Joe walked through the door not too long after, closing the door a little too loud, causing Nikki to wake up crying. Nick glared at Joe, picking up Nikki. "Sorry I didn't know," Joe apologized. Nick succeeded in calming Nikki down, placing her on her feet. She was still a little drowsy from the nap, clinging onto Nick's leg.

"What's the little munchkin doing over here?" Joe asked, bending down to look Nikki in the eyes.

"Miley's sick," Nick replied as Joe picked up his niece, twirling her around. "Joe be careful."

"Geez you're really taking this father role seriously."

Nick gave him a look, taking Nikki from his arms. "I don't want anything to happen to make Miley rethink her decision of staying here."

Joe was busy mocking Nick when their mom walked through the front door. "Looks like I've missed something here," she said, walking towards the kitchen to put away the groceries.

"Mom?" Nick called from the living room.

Denise walked to the living room to see what her son wanted. "Yeah Nick?"

"Can you watch Nikki for me? I want to go check on Miley."

"Sure honey," Denise said, taking hold of her granddaughter. "I think I have some soup you can bring her."

-Nick's POV-

I walked out of the house heading towards Miley's private entrance, soup in hand. I knocked on the door, waiting for a reply. Miley must be sleeping because there was no reply. I stooped down, picking up the planter to the left of her door. If I remember correctly, a key was suppose to be under it. I was in luck as I picked up the key. Unlocking the door, I quietly walked in trying not to disturb her. "Miley?" I whispered.

She stirred in her sleep, waking up. I walked over to the bed, setting the soup on her bedside table. "Nick?" she asked as she finally opened her eyes. "What are you doing here? What about Nikki?"

"Shhh… calm down. My mom is watching Nikki so I decided to come see how you were doing." I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever anymore."

"Yeah, I feel better now," she said, sitting up in bed. Her hair was messy and she had no make-up on. But this was one of those times when I thought she was absolutely beautiful because you saw the real Miley.

"My mom made you some soup," I said, handing her the bowl. I watched as she basically inhaled the soup, laughing at her.

She looked up, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I guess I forgot to eat all day."

"It's ok. I was just laughing at how cute you looked."

"Thanks," she said, turning a light pink. "You didn't have to come over."

"Please, you were going to starve to death if I didn't come over."

"I would have eventually gotten up," she said, pouting. "or made Noah get me something."

I laughed at her. "So have you just been sleeping all day?"

"Pretty much… I had nothing else to do. I usually have Nikki to tend too all day." she replied, turning on the TV.

"Well it's a good thing I came over then," I joked.

We spent some time just talking, about anything and everything. It felt nice just talking to her again, it was like old times. Pretty soon we were sitting side by side in her bed, her head resting on my shoulder as we watched TV. This was what my life was suppose to be like.

* * *

**So I was watching American Idol Give Back while writing this chapter and I had to make some comments. Ryan was so funny dancing with the dancers at the beginning, but he sometime scares me. I loved Ben Stiller with his "googillion (SP?) dollars comment and his little thing at the end of the show. I prefer him over Adam Sandler any day. Who knew Teri Hatcher could sing? Haha… when the two ladies (sorry I don't know who they are) and Fergie were playing all I could think about was Guitar Hero. But boy was it sad... I'm an easy crier so I had some tears slip every now and then.**

**How cute did Miley look? Boy do I wish I had legs as long and skinny as hers! She did a good job singing tonight and once again I wish I had her closet.**

**So… nothing too big happening in this chapter. But I think I have some drama coming up soon. I know… I'm drama filled.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

"Miley!" Brandi yelled. "Help!"

"What's wrong?" Miley asked, running into the room. She stifled a laugh when she saw her sister smothered in her wedding dress.

"I can't figure this out," Brandi whined in desperation.

"Here, let me help." Miley said, helping her sister into her dress. She stepped back, making her sister spin. "You look beautiful."

"Don't get all sentimental on me," Brandi laughed, pulling her little sister into a hug. They pulled away when they heard a knock at the door, looking up they saw Billy Ray's head pop in.

"You girls ready?" he asked, walking over to his two daughters. Brandi took a deep breath, nodding her head. "Well then lets go get you married."

Nikki lead the wedding party, throwing rose petals all down the aisle. She wore a simple white dress with a light pink sash around her middle, matching the bridesmaids dresses. Noah followed after, looking like a beautiful young lady.

Nick turned when Miley was walking down the aisle, wearing her signature smile. She looked stunning in a simple floor length, light pink strapless dress. Her hair was in a side ponytail, dangling diamond earrings adding to her elegance. She glided down the aisle, smiling at her family and friends. She caught Nick's eye, giving him a warm smile. He watched as she made her way to the altar, wishing it was their wedding day.

The wedding march started playing as everyone got on their feet, turning around just as Billy Ray was walking Brandi down the aisle. Throughout the ceremony, Nick couldn't keep himself from watching Miley.

"I would like to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Martin," the priest announced. Clapping erupted all around Nick causing him to tear his eyes away from Miley. He watched as the newlyweds walked down the aisle, not noticing Miley walking towards him.

"Nick?" Miley said, tapping him on the shoulder.

Nick turned around, startled. "Huh."

"Can you do me a favor and watch Nikki at the reception?" she asked, holding Nikki's hand. "I'm going to be super busy doing things for Brandi, I don't think I'll be able to keep an eye on her."

"Yeah, it's no problem," he replied, taking Nikki's hand from hers. He watched as Miley left in a hurry, most likely to tend to some last minute details before the reception started. "Come on sweetheart," he said, leading Nikki to his car.

"Daddy, how did I do?" she asked, walking beside him.

"You were the best," he answered as he lifted her up, buckling her into the car seat. "Even better than mommy and auntie Noah." He watched as she broke out into the biggest smile he had ever seen, her eyes twinkling with excitement. He laughed as he walked around the car, heading to the driver's side.

All during the reception, Miley was busy running around making sure everything was perfect. It was one of the perks of being maid of honor. She finally had some time to sit down when speeches were being made. But rather than relax, she was nervous about giving her speech. It had been a long time since she was in front of a crowd. Even though this one wasn't a crowd of screaming fans, she wasn't use to the attention anymore.

She took a deep breath before standing up, scanning the crowd before looking at her sister. "Brandi and Josh," she started, opting for sentimental than humor like most of the other speeches. "I can't say how happy I am for you two. I'm so glad my big sister was able to find the perfect guy who makes her happy and loves her with all his heart. Seeing you two together is what gives me hope, that one day I will be able to find what you two share." She started tearing up, as well as Brandi. She raised her glass, motioning for everyone to join her. "I wish you two a lifetime of happiness and at least a dozen of children." She smiled at Brandi who got up to give Miley a hug.

"I don't know about that dozen of children," Josh said. "But we'll try to get as close as possible." Miley laughed, giving her new brother a hug as well.

Nick watched as Miley ran from one side of the ballroom to the other, talking to person after person.

"She looks tired," Kevin commented, noticing who his little brother was watching. Nick turned towards Kevin, nodding his head. "So any progress with you two?"

Nick's face fell slightly. "No, we're only friends."

"I'm sure you two will become a happy family." Cyndi said trying to raise Nick's spirits. "We all know you guys were meant to be."

"Were. As in past tense." Nick simply stated. He usually wasn't pessimistic, but he didn't want to have false hopes.

At that moment Miley sunk into the chair next to him, clearly worn out. "She is so lucky she's my sister and I love her."

Nick laughed, offering her his glass of water. "Here. Drink some. You look like you need it."

"Thanks," she said, taking the drink. She looked around, "where's Nikki?"

"She decided to ditch me and spend time with Frankie and Noah instead," Nick answered, pointing at the two teens with his daughter.

"I'm sure she just wanted you to look single for the ladies," Miley joked. Nick just nodded his head, not finding the joke funny.

Cyndi and Kevin could sense the conversation had turned awkward and excused themselves from the table, making their way onto the dance floor instead. Nick and Miley sat at the table in an awkward silence. Miley mentally kicking herself for making the last remark, she thought he would find it funny but she obviously had thought wrong. "So where are Joe and Emily?" she asked, trying to make small talk.

"Joe's embarrassing Emily on the dance floor." Nick replied, his eyes never leaving the crowd.

Miley sighed, her attempt at small talk didn't work. She watched him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. She use to be able to read his mind, but those times had changed. "Do you want to dance?" she asked, placing her hand out for him to tale.

-Nick's POV-

My eyes glanced from her to her hand, not sure of what to do. I finally gave in, taking her hand as she pulled me up and headed towards Joe and Emily. I stood there awkwardly, watching as Joe and Miley were trying to out-dance each other. Emily and I stood to the side, watching in awe. Pretty soon we were all laughing at how immature they looked.

The music slowed down, and everyone paired up. Miley and I stood there, just looking at each other. I was about to turn around and head back to the table when she placed her arms around my neck. My hands instinctively went to her hips. I loosened up, trying to relax when Miley started giggling. "What is it?" I asked, wondering what was so funny.

"Listen to the song." she instructed. Ironically, "When You Look Me in the Eyes" was playing. "Leave it to Brandi to be cheesy." We both started laughing, becoming comfortable with each other as we swayed to the music. "So do you picture yourself getting married one day?" she asked me.

"I guess so." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "One day. What about you?"

She giggled. "I hope so."

"You hope so?"

"I'm hoping that I find the perfect guy like Brandi did," she said, glancing over at Brandi who was laughing at something Josh told her. "Someone who can make me laugh like that, who will keep me safe. But most importantly, someone who loves Nikki."

"Yeah," I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

"Don't you want that?" she asked, looking me in the eyes. "Someone who will love Nikki like you love her?"

"Of course I do." I replied, glancing over at my daughter.

"It's just so hard." Miley said, catching my attention.

"What's hard?"

"Trying to find someone." I watched as sadness flashed in her eyes. "It just seems so hard to find someone genuine nowadays."

Before the conversation could finish, the song ended. "It's now time for the newlyweds to cut their wedding cake," the announcer informed us.

"Well I have to get back to my maid of honor duties," Miley said. "Thanks for the dance," she gave me a kiss on the cheek before running off again.

I walked back over to the table where everyone was seated, sinking into my seat. I couldn't help but run the conversation I just had over and over again. Miley didn't see me as the guy she wanted to marry.

-Miley's POV-

"Just a few more hours," I told myself, trying to keep my energy up for the rest of the reception. Running back and forth was making me tired and all I wanted to do was go home and sleep for hours.

"It's now time for the father/daughter dance," I heard the DJ announce. I stood in the corner, watching as Brandi and dad walked to the middle of the dance floor. Pretty soon other fathers led their daughters to the floor, joining in on the dance. I quickly caught sight of Nick leading Nikki to the dance floor, picking her up and twirling her around.

"What are you thinking about?"

I turned my head to see Emily walking up to me. "Nothing. I was just watching the people."

Emily stood beside me, her eyes wandering over the dance floor. "I hope my wedding will be perfect too."

"I'm sure it will be," I answered. "Especially since I'm your maid of honor. I'm way experienced after tonight."

She laughed, turning towards me. "What about you? When will I be able to be your maid of honor?"

"Who knows?" I retorted, smiling as I watched Nick and Nikki.

Emily's eyes followed my gaze, seeing Nick with Nikki. "What about Nick?"

"What about him?"

"Don't you ever think about giving him a second chance?"

"Sometimes." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "I really don't know. We are two different people now."

"You guys aren't different, only the time and situation are. I think you just choose to shut him out because you're scared he'll run away at the first sign of trouble." At this point I turned to face her, surprised by what she was saying. "It's true isn't it? You're scared to give him a second chance."

I glanced from Emily to Nick and back to Emily. "It's not that I'm scared. I'm just being cautious."

"Scared. Cautious. Whatever you want to call it, you can't deny the fact that you two were made for each other. We all know he still loves you and even if you won't accept it, deep down you do too. Why else would you and Ryan break off your engagement?" Emily put her hand on my shoulder, "I'm not trying to offend you or anything. I just want you to be happy. I see the way you look at him when he's with Nikki and I can tell that you want to be one happy family. So why not Miles? Why not dive right in and give it a try?"

I looked towards Nick, trying to process everything Emily was saying. "I do want to be a family. Seeing the way he is with Nikki makes me fall in love with him even more. I feel like I'm 15 again. But it's just not that easy to give him a second chance. I don't want to dive in to this head first, only to be left to drown."

* * *

**So I'm done with my Relay for Life duties! Tonight was the big event I have been working so hard on and it was a big success. My school, along with three other ones, were able to raise over 18,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society. Of course, my school raised almost half of that amount because we rock! But all in all, it was tiring and stressful but all worth it!**


	15. Chapter 15

**So this chapter is dedicated to ttran59 because she made me buckle down and write it. It probably would have taken me a couple days to update if she didn't tell me too. So this is for you Tiffany, I hope you'll like it.**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

For days after Brandi's wedding, all that Miley could think about was her conversation with Emily. She tried to convince herself that Emily was wrong, that she wasn't running scared. She kept telling herself that she was right to be cautious. It wasn't just her life she would be messing with if things between her and Nick didn't go smoothly, she had to keep Nikki in mind. She sat watching Nikki sprawled out on the ground, coloring. "Nikki, sweetie" Miley called, causing the little girl to stop coloring and tilt her head up to look at her mother. "Why don't we go see auntie Ashley today?"

"Auntie Ashley?" Nikki asked, getting excited. She got up from the ground, leaving her unfinished picture forgotten. "Can we go now?"

"Alright cupcake, why don't you go put on your shoes and we can go."

"Okay mommy!" Nikki cried, running towards the hallway closet. Miley got up, gathering her things and walked towards the front door.

"Let me tie your shoes up," Miley said, putting her things down, only to see that her daughter's shoes were already tied. "When did you learn to tie your shoes baby?" she asked, surprised that she didn't know about this step in her daughter's life.

"Daddy taught me," Nikki replied, getting up from the floor. "Come on lets go." Nikki pulled at Miley's hand, dragging her out the door and to the car. They arrived at Ryan's house, waiting for someone to answer the door.

"Hey Miley, what are you doing here?" Ashley asked when she opened the door to reveal the mother/daughter duo standing on the doorstep. She bent down to Nikki's level. "How are you doing munchkin?"

"Hey Ash, we just wanted to come visit." Miley said as she walked pass Ashley, watching as Nikki ran straight towards the toy room Ryan had made for her. "Don't make a mess!" Miley called after Nikki just as she rounded the corner. She turned back around, walking towards the living room and settling down on a couch.

"So what's on your mind?" Ashley asked as she sat down across from Miley.

"Why do you think something is on my mind?" Miley asked innocently.

"Why do you even try to pretend like everything is ok?" Ashley asked, laughing quietly. "I think all of us are able to tell when something is bothering you."

Miley blushed, "I guess something has been bothering me."

"Well then tell me about it."

"Well… it's just something Emily said. I'm hoping that it's not true." Miley said, playing with her hands.

"Why? What did she say?"

"She said that I'm shutting Nick out because I'm scared." she looked up, waiting for Ashley to say something. But she didn't get a response. "You're thinking the same thing aren't you?"

"Well, not exactly." Ashley answered, looking away.

"What do you mean by not exactly then?" Miley questioned.

-Ashley's POV-

"Look Miles. You do have a right to be scared after what he did to you. But if you're scared to give him a second chance, then there has to be a reason why."

"It's because I still love him, but I don't know if he still loves me." Miley finally admitted. "Everyone tells me he is, but that's only because they want us to be together. But I haven't heard those words spoken by the one person that I need to hear it from.

I was mentally beating myself up, trying so hard to keep my mouth shut. How could I tell her about what I saw last night?

_Ryan and Ashley had decided to go out to dinner instead of staying in. After Ryan and Miley had decided to end things, him and Ashley had become closer friends. They were always friends since they both spent time with Miley, but they had grown a lot closer now that they were living together. They walked aimlessly around downtown, taking in the sights. It was definitely different from what you would see back in Tennessee. _

_They walked into Donovan's, a highly rated steak house. It was one of the fanciest steak houses they had ever walked into to The place was dimly lit, setting a romantic atmosphere. The pair looked at each other, laughing when they sat down at their table._

_Throughout dinner, the two spent most of their time talking and laughing rather than eating their meal._

"_So how's working for the infamous Jonas Brothers?"_

_Ryan shrugged, cutting into his 12 oz. New York strip, grilled to just a light pink. "It's fun. Joe and Kevin tends to make me get off task and play video games instead, which annoys Nick sometimes."_

"_I bet," Ashley laughed. "Nick seems like the uptight one of the three."_

"_He's not uptight, he just likes to get things done right away. The other two on the other hand, likes to play Guitar Hero instead." Ryan said, defending Nick._

"_So does he ever talk about Miley?" Ashley questioned, curious to know the answer._

_Ryan frowned, thinking. "Not really. He doesn't like to talk about his personal life, especially the topic of girls. But he does talk about Nikki a lot. He absolutely adores that little girl."_

"_Who wouldn't? She's such a little smart-aleck for a four year old, which makes her adorable." Ashley said, looking at the people around the dining room. Her eyes stopped at a table close by, not sure of who she was seeing. She shifted in her seat, squinting her eyes to try to get a better look. "It couldn't be," she muttered softly._

"_What couldn't be?" Ryan asked, looking at her curiously. He turned towards where she was looking. "Hey it's Nick." confirming Ashley's assumptions, "and some other person." Ryan stood up from his seat, "let's go say hi."_

"_I don't want to interrupt their dinner," Ashley said, still sitting in her seat. _

"_They are only having drinks so I hardly think we'll be interrupting them." Ryan forced her up, pulling her along behind him. "What a coincidence seeing you here," Ryan said as he reached Nick's table._

"_Hey Ryan, Ashley."_

"_Hi," Ashley managed to say, not looking up. _

"_This is Britney," Nick said, motioning towards the other person. "She's an old friend."_

"_Nice to meet you," she said, shaking both Ryan's and Ashley's hands._

"_So what are you two doing here?" Ryan asked._

"_We're just having dinner, catching up on old times." Nick said, flashing a smile at Britney who immediately returned one to him. _

_Ashley was getting sick to her stomach watching those two. She tugged on Ryan's arm. "We should return to our own dinner. I'm sure they have a lot to talk about."_

"_Alright," Ryan said, agreeing with her. "I'll see you at work tomorrow. It was nice meeting you Britney."_

_Ashley mumbled a goodbye to the pair, and turned around to walk back towards her table. For the rest of dinner she couldn't help but continuously take glances at the two, trying to figure out if there was anything going on._

"Maybe I am running scared, maybe I should just dive in head first. Everyone says we're meant to be together."

I cleared my throat, "Miley there's something you should know."

She looked up, confused as to why I had interrupted her. "What is it?" she questioned, her voice shaking.

"Ryan and I went to dinner the other night," I started, scared to go on. But she had the right to know. "We ran into Nick at the restaurant and he was with another girl. He said her name was Britney and that they were old friends. I mean, I don't know if anything is going on between the two. But I thought you should know that." I waited for Miley to start yelling, crying, something. But all she did was sit there, quiet. "Miles?"

"I know Britney. Nick and her were friends before me and him even knew each other. I always thought they had a thing for each other." she said, totally calm.

"So you're not worried?"

"Why should I be?" she asked, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "He isn't my property." she said, the tears falling down her face.

"Miley," I said, walking to the other couch, wrapping my arms around her.

"I need him Ashley." she sobbed, the tears soaking into my shirt. "He is the one I've been wanting and I think I just lost him. Emily was right. I pushed him away."

I stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. "We don't know if they are together. I might just be jumping to conclusions Miles." I was back to mentally beating myself again. I should have thought this through, finding out the truth before telling Miley. What if I was wrong about Nick and Britney?

-No one's POV-

Miley was like a different person after she had the talk with Ashley. She had just gotten to the point where she was ready to take it to the next level with Nick, only to find out he was seeing Britney. Her heart was broken by him again, even without him knowing it.

It was Friday morning and Miley was getting Nikki ready to spend the day with Nick. She packed her things in a bag, leaving it by the front door. She looked out the window, seeing Nick walking towards the house. She quickly gave Nikki a kiss, leaving her with Noah, and walked up to her room. She walked into her room just as the doorbell rang, so for now all she could do was wait until Nick left. For the past week she had kept her distance from Nick, making up excuses to leave when he came to see Nikki everyday.

"Miley, Nick is here." she heard Noah announce through the intercom system. "Are you coming down?"

It was a regular routine for them. She didn't want Nick to know she was avoiding him on purpose. "Sorry guys I'm not feeling to well right now. But have fun with Nikki, Nick."

She stood there for a couple of minutes, waiting for Noah to tell her he had left. "Nick is on his way up."

"What?" Miley exclaimed, running towards her bed. She dived under the covers, trying to look like she was sick.

"Miley?" Nick questioned, knocking on her door. She turned on her side, her back towards the door. Hearing the door open, she quickly closed her eyes, hoping he would leave when he saw her sleeping. But instead of leaving, he sat down on her bed, gently shaking her.

She was silently cursing at him, rolling over and stretching. She slowly opened her eyes, "Nick?"

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Go spend time with Nikki." she said, trying to get him to leave.

He sighed, narrowing his eyes at her. "Miley, what's wrong?"

"Why do you think something is wrong?"

"You are far from sick so something has to be wrong for you to make up lies. You've been avoiding me all week."

"No I haven't."

"Right," he scoffed. "It just so happens that every time I stop by you're busy, in the shower, or sick."

"It's just coincidence," Miley said, scooting farther away from him."

"Ok, you know what. Cut the crap and just tell me what I did." he yelled at her.

Miley was taken aback. "You did not just yell at me." she screamed back.

"What if I did?" he said, standing up.

Miley got up, standing on the other side of the bed. "You have no right to be mad at me."

"But you have a right to be mad at me?" he asked.

"I do have a right to be mad at you." Miley said, crossing her arms.

"And why is that?"

"Because you shouldn't be bringing random girls around Nikki!" Miley's eyes got wide and she quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"Random girls? What random girls?" Nick asked, confused.

Miley was getting even more mad with everything he said. "How can you act like you're innocent? Ashley told me she ran into you having dinner with another girl."

Nick finally understood what she was talking about. "Britney? You know Britney."

"So what if I know her? You shouldn't be bringing people around Nikki unless you know for sure that they are going to be staying around. She's had enough people walk out of her life. She doesn't need more."

"Are you saying that I walked out on her?" Nick questioned, offended by Miley's accusations. "If I remember correctly, you were the one that left town and ran away from your problems, never telling me that I had a daughter. I'm sorry that I wasn't around from the beginning, but at least I'm making an effort now."

"You still shouldn't be bringing your girlfriends around her." Miley mumbled.

"I can't be here and I don't want Nikki seeing me like this. I'll take her another weekend." he said, heading towards the door. He stopped, turning back around to face Miley. "And you should know, Britney and I are not going out. We were just having dinner so you should stop acting like a jealous girlfriend because we're not together." He walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"But I wish we were," Miley said to herself. She sunk to the ground, hugging her knees to her cheat, tears streaming down her face.

Noah knocked on the door, pushing it open to see her big sister crying on the ground. "Miley?" Noah asked, walking over and giving her sister a hug. "What happened?"

Miley was crying to hard to answer her, so she only shook her head. Noah sat there for a moment, letting her sister cry on her shoulder. She slowly helped her get into bed, just as Nikki walked into the room. "Mommy?"

Noah quickly took Nikki's hand, leading her out of the room. "Why don't we find something to play Nikki?"

-Joe's POV-

I looked up just as Nick stomped into the house, slamming the door shut behind him. "Hey, where's the little-" I stopped mid-sentence when I saw how angry Nick looked. "What happened?"

"Miley happened," he snapped, collapsing onto the couch. "She went psycho on me."

"About what?"

"She got jealous that I had dinner with Britney the other night and started rambling about bringing girls around Nikki." Nick pounded his fists into the chair, "I just don't get why it's such a big deal. We're not together."

I shook my head, surprised at how oblivious Nick could be. "Maybe because she still loves you."

"Well she has a weird way of showing it."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that jealousy is only a form of caring?" I watched as he shrugged his shoulders in reply. "If I were you I would be worried if she wasn't jealous."

"Why is that?"

I walked over to him, patting him on the head. "Because little bro, if she's jealous then that means she still has feelings for you and feels threatened by Britney."

"If she still has feelings for me then why couldn't she just tell me? Why did she have to make it all difficult?"

"Because she's just being Miley." I said, laughing at my little joke. "Just think about how jealous you were of Ryan and you'll know how Miley is feeling."

"When did you get so smart?"

"The only thing I have to read when I'm shopping with Emily are girl magazines. You actually learn some useful things from them." I walked up the stairs, leaving Nick to think everything over. "Where are you heading off too?"

Frankie stopped in his tracks, turning around. "I'm going to help Noah watch Nikki."

-No one's POV-

Nick sat in the living room, thinking about everything that had happened between him and Miley that morning. He wanted to go talk to her again, but he was being a typical guy. He decided that they both needed time to calm down first.

Next door, Miley was still laying in bed. She had stopped crying awhile ago and was now emotionally drained. The words "we're not together" repeating itself over and over again in her mind.

Noah popped her head into the room, checking up on her sister. "Hey, me and Frankie are going to take Nikki to the park. Do you need anything before we go?"

Miley shook her head, still staring at her ceiling. "No, I'm fine. Just be careful and call me when you get there and when you head back."

"Alright, call me and I'll come back if you need anything." Noah said, turning around and heading down the stairs.

Frankie and Noah were sitting on a park bench, watching Nikki play on the play set. "So I'm thinking something big happened."

Frankie nodded his head. "Yeah, Nick seemed mad when he got home."

"Why can't those two just realize that they are going to get married one day and end up together already," Noah exclaimed. "It's tiring having to comfort Miley every time Nick does something to make her cry."

"Well it's not all Nick's fault. You know, Miley did leave him four years ago." Frankie countered.

"Only because Nick broke up with her." Noah argued in Miley's defense.

"But that doesn't mean she had to skip town and run away." Frankie said, raising his voice at her.

"You try living next door to the guy who ripped your heart out and stomped on it," Noah said, raising her voice to match Frankie's.

"Look, all I'm saying is that it is not just Nick's fault and that Miley should take some blame too. I love Miley, she's like a sister to me. But just because Nick broke her heart doesn't mean that she wasn't wrong to keep Nikki from him."

"What are we doing?" Noah asked, her voice back to normal. "We're fighting someone else's battle."

"Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous." Frankie laughed.

The two teens were so wrapped up in defending their older siblings, they didn't notice that Nikki had taken off after a stray puppy. They looked up, only to find an empty play set.

"Frankie… where's Nikki?" Noah asked, standing up.

"Ok. Don't freak out yet. How far can a four year old get?"

"Pretty far if we can't see her!" Noah exclaimed, getting hysterical. "Miley is going to kill me!"

"Calm down. Let's split up and look for her. Come back here in an hour." With that the two split up, running opposite ways in search of the four year old.

An hour later, Frankie came running back to the bench, only to find Noah sitting on the ground crying with Nikki no where in sight. "What are we going to do?" Noah cried out. "Nick and Miley are going to be so mad at us."

Frankie picked up her cell phone from the ground, offering it to her. "We can't do anything else Noah."

-Miley's POV-

I had finally dragged myself out of bed after Noah called to tell me they had arrived at the park. I stepped into the steaming shower, allowing myself to relax as the water beat against my back. After using all the hot water, I stepped out of the shower, wrapping myself with a towel. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and was disgusted with the way I looked. My eyes were still red from crying and I looked pale. I sighed, getting dress and running a brush through my still wet hair.

I heard my phone ringing and ran to answer it. "Hello?" I said, breathing heavy from the running.

"M.. m… miley?" Noah stuttered, sounding like she had been crying. "Don't get mad."

My heart skipped a beat at the last sentence. "What happened? How's Nikki? Is she hurt?"

"No."

"Then what is it?" I snapped.

"She's missing Miley. Frankie and I ran all over the neighborhood trying to find her but we couldn't."

The phone slipped from my hand, breaking into pieces as it hit the floor. In an instant, I was out the door, running towards the park. On the way out I didn't even stop to put on a jacket, my hair was still wet, whipping me in the face, but I kept on running. The only thing on my mind was finding my baby.

-Nick's POV-

I was strumming my guitar when my phone started vibrating. I tried to ignore it but the constant vibration in my pocket was distracting me. I placed the guitar carefully on the bed, pulling my phone out of my pocket and glancing at the caller id. "This better be good Frankie," I snapped.

"Nick I'm really sorry."

"Sorry about what?" I asked, confused.

"Me and Noah took Nikki to the park and she ran off."

"WHAT?" I yelled, hoping I had heard it wrong.

Joe must have heard me because he came bursting into the room. "What's wrong?"

"Nick, we're really sorry. We tried looking for her but we couldn't find her."

"What's wrong Nick?" Joe asked again.

"I'm coming." I hung up, dialing Miley's number but all I got was her voicemail. "Come on Miley, pick up." I tried calling her again, but got impatient when I got was her voicemail again.

"Nick, tell me what's wrong." Joe said in a tone I had never heard before.

I stood up from the bed, slipping my van's on. "Nikki's missing."

* * *

**Mwahahaha… I'm evil I know. But I like to keep you guys in suspense. I'm sure I won't leave you guys hanging for long though because it's driving me nuts as I'm typing this that I don't even know what's going to happen next.**

**But before you guys kill me, I do have to say that I wasn't feeling good when I woke up this morning so I decided to stay home from school and work on this. I only stopped here because I have to get ready for work. So if you still feel like you should be mad at something be mad at my boss and not me. But I promise to come straight home from work and try my hardest to work on the next chapter.**

**If you are mad… then you should really go on youtube and watch the latest Miley and Mandy show because it was awesome! I think I've watched it about 50 times since I woke up. It will definitely lift your spirits!**

**Ok so anyways… review guys!**

**Was it long enough Tiff?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15**

Miley ran all the way to the park, ignoring the splitting pain in her sides. "Noah!" she cried out, finally stopping beside her little sister, gasping for air. "Please tell me you've found her."

Noah looked up at her big sister, still sitting on the ground, tears flowing nonstop down her face. "I'm so sorry Miley," she said, crying even harder. Frankie tightened his grip around Noah's shoulder, trying his best to calm her down. Miley didn't know what to do, what to say, or how to react. She stood there, blankly staring off into the distance, hoping this was all a bad dream that she would wake up from any moment now.

Joe pulled his car up to the curb, Nick jumping out before the car was even in park. "You are going to kill yourself," Joe yelled after him but Nick was already halfway to Miley. Joe shook his head, quickly getting out to follow his little brother. He pulled out his cell phone on the way, calling Kevin to tell him what happened.

Nick slowed down when he got closer walking straight up to Miley and pulling her into a hug. She quickly pulled away, shaking her head. Rejection was evident in Nick's face. Joe finally caught up with the group, looking around to see everyone silent and distraught. "What happened?" he asked, looking down at Frankie and Noah.

Frankie stood up, dusting off his clothes. He turned around, grabbing Noah's hand to help her up. Facing his two brothers and Miley, he took a deep breath to help him. "We were fighting about Nick and Miley and wasn't paying attention to Nikki. When we looked up she was gone," he said, looking down at the grass. "We tried looking for her, but we couldn't find her."

"How could you two be so irresponsible!" Nick yelled at the teens. "All you had to do was watch Nikki. What is so hard about that?"

Miley was still in shock, not saying a word. She sunk down on the bench, her face blank of emotion. She listened as Nick yelled at her little sister causing her to start crying again. All the yelling was making her blood boil and she couldn't take it anymore. She stood up, cradling Noah in her arms. "Stop it! You're not helping!" she yelled back at him.

Kevin and Cyndi along with Emily, Ashley, and Ryan had finally made it to the park, just in time to see Miley's reaction. They slowly walked up the group, trying not to make it worse.

Miley's outburst had surprised Nick and caused everyone to go silent. Nick was expecting her to yell, but not at him. She wanted to blame someone and Nick was the one she chose. "If someone should be blamed it should be you," she shouted, opening up all her emotions she had kept in for so many years. "You're the reason why this is all happening."

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked.

The rest of the group had slowly backed away from the two, letting them say what they had to say to each other.

"You were suppose to take Nikki this morning. You were suppose to be watching her. This would have never happened if you had been the father that you were suppose to be."

"Well maybe I would have been if you didn't go all psycho on me this morning just like you're doing now."

"Oh so now I'm psycho. Well I think I deserve to be after everything you put me through!"

"What Miley? What have I been putting you through?" Nick exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis.

"You have no idea what I went through those years I moved away. What I went through because you decided to walk out on us. Did you know that I cried myself to sleep? Did you know that I thought about ending everything? Did you know?" Miley asked, her eyes watering. "No, you didn't know."

Guilt swept over Nick as he listened to what Miley was saying. She was right, he didn't know anything about her and it was his fault. "Miley, I-"

"No." she yelled, taking a step back. "No! Don't act like you care now." She let the tears fall freely, not worrying about wiping them away.

Nick took a step closer to her. He wanted to pull her to him and wrap his arms around her. All he wanted to do was stop her pain. He reached his hand out to her to try to comfort her.

"NO!" she yelled, pushing him away. "Don't touch me."

Ryan and Ashley ran passed Nick to Miley. Nick watched as Ryan wrapped his arms around her, Miley burying her face in him. He was the one that was suppose to be at Miley's side, not Ryan. Joe put a hand on his brother's shoulder, guiding him away. "Come on."

"We need to stop fighting and work together," Kevin reasoned. "Nikki has to be somewhere out there, so lets pair off and split up."

Kevin and Cyndi paired off while Joe went with Nick. Ryan teamed up with Frankie and Noah while Emily and Ashley stayed at the park with Miley.

* * *

Kevin and Cyndi decided to go door to door. They went throughout the neighborhood, knocking on every house hoping someone had found Nikki and taken her in.

"Do you really think they will end up together now?" Cyndi asked, walking down the street with Kevin.

Kevin shrugged, "it's hard to tell now. They both still have feelings for each other, but they are both stubborn." **(haha… who's more stubborn Tiff?)**

"I thought Nikki would bring them together, but it seems as if they are just drifting farther apart." Cyndi sighed, lacing her fingers between Kevin's.

Kevin kissed the top of Cyndi's head. "I guess we'll have to wait to announce our news." Cyndi nodded her head and the two continued down the street in search of their niece.

* * *

"Was she really that bad?"

Joe sighed, never taking his eyes off of the street in front of him. "There was a time when we all thought she would do the inevitable, but we got her through it."

Nick turned his attention back to the window, scanning the scenery for a sign of his daughter. "Is that why you and Kevin went away so much?"

"We were worried that if we left her alone for too long she would hurt herself and the baby. So we tried to be there as often as we could. If not us then mom and dad."

"Why did you guys keep it from me? Why didn't you tell me?" Nick asked, desperation in his voice.

"We wanted to, we really did. But we promised Miley to keep it a secret. She didn't want to hold you back from living your dream because she knew how much it meant to you. She thought it would be best if you didn't know about Nikki."

"I don't get it. She resents me for not being there, but it's her fault that I wasn't there." Nick balled his hands into fists, trying to stop himself from lashing out. "I just don't get it."

Joe took a glance at his brother, seeing how troubled he was. "It's not that she's blaming you. She's blaming herself."

"I just wish she would stop shutting me out and let me in."

"She will," Joe said, patting his brother on the shoulder. "Sooner or later, she will."

* * *

Emily and Ashley stayed with Miley in the park trying to calm her down. They sat there for hours, not saying a word. After a few tries, they had finally succeeded in talking Miley into going home. They walked back to Miley's house, calling the guys to inform them and get updates.

The trio walked through the front door to find Miley's parents and the Jonas' sitting in the living room. Upon seeing Miley's appearance, the parents only started to worry more.

"Miley, where have you been?" Billy Ray asked. "We've all been worried sick about you kids."

Tish hurried over to Miley's side, wrapping her arms around her. "Why are you so cold?" she asked, guiding her over to the couch while Denise wrapped a blanket around her.

"Tell us what's wrong? Where is everyone?" Kevin Sr. questioned.

Everyone looked towards Miley, waiting for an answer. But she had retreated into herself, not saying a word to anyone.

"What's wrong with her? What happened?" Billy Ray demanded to know, looking at Emily and Ashley.

Ashley looked at Emily, who looked like she was about to cry, and then back to the four grown-ups in front of her. "Nikki's missing. Everyone is out looking for her."

"What?!" all four parents cried out in shock. "How did it happen? Have you called the cops? Who was watching her?" they all asked simultaneously, overwhelming Ashley.

So for the next hour Ashley retold the events that happened, leaving out the fight between Nick and Miley. Emily had brought Miley up to her room and made her take a hot shower while Emily picked up the pieces of her phone that were still on the ground from the morning. It was getting dark outside and she hoped someone had found Nikki. She pulled out her phone, calling Joe.

"Hello?"

"Joe? Any luck?"

"No, we can't seem to find her." he sighed. "How's Miley doing?"

"She hasn't talked since the park. We're all worried about her." she glanced at the bathroom door when she heard the water cut off. "I have to go, but you guys should head home."

"We're actually on our way back right now along with everyone else."

"Alright then, I'll see you in a bit."

She hung up the phone right at the time Miley walked out of the bathroom dressed in sweats and a tank top. Emily looked at her appearance. She was pale and had lost the brightness in her eyes. They made their way back downstairs only to find the house full of police men. Miley was immediately bombarded when they had spotted her, throwing questions at her from all directions. It took all her strength to fight the urge to just break down and start crying, but thankfully her father came to her side.

Emily and Ashley took her to the kitchen to get away from the chaos. Miley sat in a corner, staring out the window while the other two exchanged glances, having a conversation through their mind. It wasn't long before the silence was interrupted by the returning group. They stepped into the kitchen, looking at Emily and Ashley who just shook their heads.

"Miley?" Kevin called, trying to get her attention. But she didn't respond, she just kept staring out the window. She didn't want to hear that they couldn't find Nikki so she shut them out.

Denise walked into the kitchen at that time to check on everyone and could instantly feel the tension in the room. She looked around to meet the eyes of her sons who were looking to her for help. "You kids must be hungry. Why don't I make you dinner." she said, walking towards Miley. "Miley, sweetie, are you hungry?"

Miley shook her head, her eyes never leaving the window. Denise gave her a light kiss on the forehead before heading towards the fridge, looking for something to make. Noah and Frankie had excused themselves, leaving the kitchen while the remaining seven took seats at the dining table. It wasn't long before Denise put dinner on the table, signaling them to eat. She prepared a plate, carrying it over to Miley. Taking a seat in front of her, Denise tried to get her to eat but Miley wouldn't budge. "You need to eat Miley." She sighed, placing the plate on a nearby stool. "Your parents have police looking for her all over town. She'll come home soon."

Nick walked over to the pair, taking his mother's place. "Miley," he said, placing a hand on her arm. He expected her to start screaming and push him away, but all she did was flinch. But he took it as a good sign. "It's going to be ok. I promise you that no matter what it takes I'm going to make sure she comes home."

Miley finally tore her eyes away from the window, looking at Nick with tears in her eyes. In an instant she pushed all her anger aside and fell into his arms, her tears dampening the front of his shirt. "You don't understand," she said in between sobs. "Nikki is all that I have left. If I lose her then I have nothing." She cried harder, burying her face farther into him as he tightened his grip around her, pulling her closer to him. Everyone had stopped eating by this time, the girls with tears in their eyes as they watched the two.

After the police were done filing the missing person's report and left, the group relocated to the living room. They sat around for awhile, just waiting. Ryan and Ashley decided to give the two families their privacy and left shortly after dinner. Nick and Miley were sitting on a couch, Nick still holding her in his arms. As much as the situation that gave him this opportunity to hold her in his arms again sucked, he was happy that he was able to be her support system once again.

One by one, they slowly fell asleep. Billy Ray and Tish had insisted that they stay the night in case any news came up. Mr. and Mrs. Jonas took Miley's room while Kevin and Cyndi took one of the many guest rooms in the house. Frankie stayed in Braison's old room with Joe, leaving Emily to have Brandi's room. Miley didn't feel like sleeping and stayed in the living room, Nick staying with her.

"I'm sorry," Miley whispered, her head resting on Nick's shoulder.

"About what?"

She sat up, looking him in the eyes. "For everything I said today. I was out of line for yelling at you. I didn't mean it."

"Yes you did," Nick said. "and you were right about everything. I did put you through a lot and I'm so sorry about that. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just thought that since we were constantly arguing over little things and never making time for each other, that it would be easier for us to take some time to ourselves."

"It's ok, you don't have to explain yourself. It happened, but it's the past. I'm not going to deny that I wasn't hurt but we should put that behind us. We have a daughter to worry about," she said, a tear slipping down her face.

Nick pulled her closer to him, wiping the tear. "She's going to come home Miles. I know it." She nodded, laying her head on his chest and drifted off to sleep. Nick listened to her breathing as it slowed down, trying to imprint the feeling of her in his mind. He didn't know when he would have another chance to hold her like this. He slowly closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep only to be woken up by the sound of the doorbell. Miley shot up at the sound, running towards the door. Nick groggily stood up, following behind her.

She reached the door just as everyone was stumbling down the stairs. She opened the door, Nick standing beside her. In front of them, was their daughter in the arms of a police officer. "NIKKI!" they exclaimed, Miley grabbing a hold of her daughter, hugging her like there was no tomorrow.

"Mommy," Nikki cried, tears falling from her eyes. "I was so scared."

"It's ok baby. You're home, you're safe." Miley said as her and Nick held on to their daughter, scared that they would lose her again.

Billy Ray walked towards the door to talk to the officer, while the rest of the family went into the living room. They stayed up for the rest of the night, watching Nick and Miley being reunited with their daughter.

* * *

**Aww… yay! Nikki's back and she's safe! Well I hope the chapter lived up to everyone's expectations. I tried to write it to be as good as I could make it and this is what I ended up with. But now I have to go do my calculus homework or I'm going to fail the course and lose my valedictorian position. Lol**

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**This is once again for you Tiff because you keep making me write! Give me a break why dont you? haha**


	17. Chapter 17 pt1

**I hope your happy Tiff… I'm going to fail calculus because of you!**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Losing Nikki had made Nick realize just how important she had become in his life. In months, he went from having, figuratively speaking, nothing to having almost everything. Before Nikki, he lived in the lonely celebrity lifestyle, surrounded by fake people who only used him for his fame. But she now filled the empty space that Miley had left in him years ago, giving his life meaning again. The only thing he had left to accomplish was to reunite with the one girl he had waited four years for.

Miley was sitting at the desk in her dad's office, busy making plans for the birthday party she had decided to throw Nick. It was her way of saying sorry for everything she had put him through the past couple of months, but also to say thank you for everything he had done for her and for Nikki. It was only a couple of weeks away and Miley was frantically trying to confirm all her reservations, making sure everything will turn out perfect.

"Wow, you really take this party planning stuff seriously," Ashley said, walking into the office to see Miley buried under stacks of invitations.

She popped her head up, her eyes being the only thing visible behind the invitations causing Ashley to go into a fit of laughter. Miley stood up, dusting herself off. "I'm glad you're here. You can help me." She grabbed Ashley's hand, pulling her over to the desk and handing her a pen. "Here," she said, giving her half of the guest list, "start writing."

Ashley groaned, taking the papers from her hand. "I only came over here to see if you wanted to go out to lunch, not become your slave."

"Please," Miley said, looking at Ashley with her bright blue eyes, pouting. "I'll never be able to leave this room unless I finish these invitations, which means I'll starve to death. Then I won't be around to take care of Nikki and she'll have to grow up without a mom."

Ashley giggled, pushing Miley and sitting down at the desk. "Stop being so dramatic."

"It worked didn't it?"

"Where is Nikki anyways?" Ashley asked, writing the names onto the cards and stuffing them into pre-addressed envelopes.

"Nick has her today," Miley answered, busy with the invitations in front of her. "That's the only time I'm able to work on the party."

It took them two hours, twenty pens, and one bathroom break to finish all the invitations. "Thank you for helping me," Miley said, stacking the envelopes into neat stacks. She looked over at Ashley who had collapsed onto the couch.

"I feel like my hand is about to fall off," she exclaimed, shifting into a more comfortable position on the couch. "Do you guys really know all those people?"

"Blame it on Nick. He feels the need to be everyone's friend." Miley laughed, looking over a checklist.

"Well all I know is you both owe me big time," Ashley said, her stomach growling catching Miley's attention.

"How about I take you out to dinner since we couldn't go to lunch?"

"Actually, I'm going to dinner with Ryan tonight." Ashley mumbled quickly, hoping Miley didn't hear her. But she wasn't lucky because Miley had heard every single word.

"Oh really?" she questioned, raising her eyebrow.

"Miley. We just… We're not… It's just that-" Ashley let out a heavy sigh. She didn't know what to say.

Miley busted out laughing, watching Ashley struggle with her words. "I was just kidding," she said through her laughter. "I always thought you guys made a way cuter couple than me and him ever did."

"Are you serious?" Ashley asked, astonished by Miley's confession.

Miley nodded, her laughter dying out. "Shouldn't you be leaving then?"

"Oh yeah," Ashley exclaimed, standing up from the couch. "I almost forgot."

Miley shook her head, standing up also. She walked with Ashley out of the office, locking the door behind her. "Have fun tonight," Miley called after Ashley as she watched her walk to her car. She closed the front door and turned around to an empty house. It was a rare occasion when she was home alone and honestly, it felt weird to Miley. She was so use to having to constantly watch Nikki, so she wandered around the house aimlessly, looking for something to keep her occupied. She finally ended up in the living room, putting on "Sweet Home Alabama" and snuggled into a blanket. It wasn't long before she was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She groaned, getting up from her comfortable position, and trudged to the front door.

"Hey," Nick said, holding Nikki's hand.

"Momma, guess what?" she cried as she dragged Nick into the house.

"What baby?" Miley asked, closing the front door after them.

"Daddy took me horseback riding today!'

"That's great sweetie," she said, smiling at her daughter. She walked back towards the living room, Nick and Nikki following behind her. "Did you have fun?" she asked as she sat down, trying to get comfortable again.

Nikki crawled onto Nick's lap, leaning back into her father. "Mmhmm"

"So is this what you have been doing all day?" Nick asked, referring to the movie.

"Well yes and no," Miley answered, trying to keep the party a secret. "Although I would have liked to go horseback riding too."

Nick laughed. "Well then next time you might just have to come with us."

"Maybe I will." she answered smugly. They looked at each other for a moment before cracking up laughing, feeling as if they were 15 years old all over again. They were soon cut short by their daughter.

"Mom. I'm hungry." she said, sliding off of Nick's lap and walking over to Miley.

"Alright, lets go make you something to eat then." she said, getting up.

Nikki took Miley's hand, stopping in front of Nick to take one of his with her free hand and continued on to the kitchen in between her parents. They rummaged through the cupboards, deciding on making mac & cheese, Nikki wanting to help. Miley boiled the noodles first before pouring them into a bowl and placing it in front of Nikki. "Nick can you get the milk and butter out of the fridge please?"

"Sure," Nick said, walking to the fridge. He placed the ingredients on the table and watched as Miley measured the amount needed. She opened the packet of cheese, handing it to Nikki to pour into the bowl. She then handed the milk and butter mixture to her, helping her pour it into the bowl to prevent any spillage. She stood next to Nick, watching Nikki mixing the concoction.

It took longer than it normally would since a four year old was making it, but it made the meal taste ten times better. After dinner Nick helped Miley clear off the table and clean the mess Nikki had made. Miley wiped her hands dry on the dish towel, looking at the clock. "It's late. We should get you ready for bed." she said to her daughter.

"Daddy can you tuck me in tonight?"

Nick looked at Miley as if asking for permission. She nodded, giving him a smile. "Sure I can." he said, picking her up. He followed Miley up the stairs and to her room, placing Nikki onto her bed as Miley started the bath. She picked up Nikki and undressed her, walking into the bathroom she placed her into the bathtub. Nick stood in the doorway, watching Miley. He admired her for being such a wonderful mother and at such a young age.

"Can you watch her while I go get her clothes?" Nick nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub. Miley quickly returned with Nikki's pajamas in her hand. "Do you want to dress her?"

"Uh… ok." he answered, unsure of what to do.

"Ok well first shut off the water," she instructed. She handed him the towel after he had done so, watching as he wrapped it around Nikki, picking her up. "Alright, come back here." Nick followed Miley back into the room, placing Nikki onto the bed.

She took the towel, drying Nikki off before handing Nick her clothes. "Now all you have to do is put her clothes on correctly. Do you think you can do that?" she asked, a smile on her lips.

Nick laughed, nudging her out of the way. "I'm not that clueless." He got the underwear on correctly, but was having trouble with the jumper. He couldn't figure out how to get it on her.

Miley stood there, entertained by Nick's confusion. "Here, let me show you." she said, taking it from his hand. "By the time you figure it out it will be way past her bedtime." she joked.

"Cut me some slack, it's my first time." Nick argued.

Miley laughed, buttoning Nikki up. "Alright, she's ready for bed. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Psshh… of course." he said, picking Nikki up walking across the hall to her room. "I've had practice with Frankie."

"Ok then, prove me wrong." Miley said, standing back to watch Nick.

Nick placed Nikki in her bed, tucking the covers around her. "Goodnight sweetie," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. He got up from the bed, smirking at Miley.

She rolled her eyes, bending down. "Sweet dreams cupcake." She placed a kiss on her forehead, turning to walk out of the room. "Job well done," she said to Nick as she closed the door, leaving it open a crack.

"Why thank you. I thought so myself." he gloated, a smile on his face.

Miley laughed, slapping him lightly on the arm. "You are so full of yourself."

They continued walking down the stairs, stopping in the front hallway. Nick looked at his watch, "well it's late, I should get home."

"Yeah," Miley said, shifting on her feet. She walked him to the front door, waiting as he pulled on his shoes and jacket. "So um… we should do this again some time. Nikki would love it."

"Yeah, we should." Nick said, turning to face Miley. "It was fun."

She opened the front door, stopping him as he walked onto the porch. "Hey Nick, what are you doing for your birthday?"

Nick turned around at her question, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not sure yet."

"Well how about we go have dinner? The three of us."

"That sounds good." he answered, smiling at her.

She smiled back at him, "I'll see you Saturday then."

"Alright," he said, "Goodnight Miles."

"Goodnight Jonas." she called back. He flashed her another smile, turning around and walked next door. Miley stood in the doorway watching him walk back to his house. She waited until he closed his door before she closed her own, making her way up to her room, falling into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**So this is only the first half of the chapter because someone was a little impatient and wanted a story to read! Haha… you know who you are. The second half should be so much better!**


	18. Chapter 17 pt2

**Chapter 16 pt.2**

Miley woke up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning, eager to get the day started. She had spent all day yesterday looking over last minute details and she was confident that she didn't forget anything. Making her way downstairs she peered into Nikki's room, making sure she was still sound asleep. She walked into the kitchen, grabbing an energy bar and a glass of orange juice, and waited for Ashley to pick her up so they could get started on decorating the hall. Miley's phone vibrated, indicating a new text message.

From: Ashley

I'm outside.

Miley placed her cup in the sink and walked to the front hall. She stopped by the front door, pulling on her uggs and jacket before meeting Ashley at her car. "Good morning," she said as she slipped into the passenger seat.

"Good would have been in two hours," Ashley whined. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed, wearing sweats with her hair up in a messy bun, her sunglasses shielding her eyes.

"Well someone isn't a morning person," Miley joked, pulling on her seatbelt as Ashley backed out of the driveway. She looked in the backseat, making sure all the supplies were there before letting Ashley drive off to the hall.

Next door, Nick was still sleeping soundly in bed. "Happy birthday!" Nick heard, waking him up from his dream. He groaned, slowly opening his eyes to see his brothers standing by his bed.

"Couldn't you guys have waited until I was awake?" he asked, turning towards the wall. He pulled his blanket over his head, trying to return to the dream he was having.

"Come on Nick, you're turning 23 today. Aren't you a little too old to be sleeping in?"

Nick gave up, pushing the blanket off of him. "Fine, I'm up."

"Mom made you breakfast downstairs." Joe said, walking towards the door. "Frankie and I have some errands to run so we'll see you later."

Nick rolled back over after watching Joe leave the room, he closed his eyes trying to finish the dream he was having. He had just asked Miley to marry him and he was about to get his answer before Joe rudely interrupted. After laying in bed for five minutes, Nick gave up on trying to finish his dream. He climbed out of bed, getting ready to start his day.

Walking into the kitchen, he was greeted by his smiling mother. "Happy birthday sweetie."

"Thanks mom," Nick replied, sitting down at the kitchen island.

"We're sorry we can't spend your birthday with you tonight, but your dad and I have an important business dinner to attend."

"It's ok mom. I'm having dinner with Miley tonight anyways."

"I'm glad you two are finally getting along," Denise said, setting a plate of pancakes in front of Nick.

Nick nodded his head, about to take a bite when he heard his special ringtone for Miley coming from his room. He dropped his fork, startling his mother, and ran up the stairs to answer the phone.

-Nick's POV-

"Hello?" I answered, slightly out of breath.

"Nick? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." I said, taking deep breaths.

"You sound like you just ran a marathon," she said, laughing.

"Something like that." I sat down on my bed, leaning against the wall. "So what's up?"

"Oh yeah, I just wanted to call and say happy birthday."

I could barely hear her over all the noise in the background. "Thanks, but what is all that noise?"

"Oh the noise?" she asked nervously. "That's just Braison, He came home for the weekend and is set on bothering me all day."

"Oh. Ok."

"So we still on for dinner right?"

I broke out into a smile, hearing her mention dinner. "Of course!"

"Great, I'll see you at 7 then?"

"Alright, I'll pick you and Nikki up at 7."

"Well I gotta go. I'll see you tonight."

-No one's POV-

Miley quickly hung up the phone, scared that Nick would have overheard something. "Could you guys have been any louder?" she asked, turning around to face the group in front of her.

"Sorry Miles," Joe said, giving her the puppy dog eyes.

She glared back at him, "You're lucky he believed my lie."

"He'd believe anything you say," Joe mumbled, turning back to the streamers he was hanging up.

"Relax Miley, he has no clue."

"I know Kevin, I just don't want the surprise to be ruined the day of the party." Miley said, looking around to make sure everyone was still working.

For the next couple of hours, Miley had the gang going crazy with her bossiness. She had to make sure every streamer was curled, every balloon was inflated to the right size, every piece of glitter hitting the right spot. "It's like Nikki's party all over again," Noah complained, whispering in Frankie's ear.

"Alright, I think we're done." Miley announced, looking around. "Remember to get back here no later than 7:15. I'll try to stall him as long as possible. Kevin, the caterers and bartenders should be here by 6 so if you could be here to supervise. The guests should be coming around 6:30."

"We got it Miley," Ryan said, pushing her out the door. "Now go home and get ready before you're the one late."

Ten minutes later, Ashley pulled up into the driveway. "Remember, no later than 7:15," Miley reminded, stepping out of Ashley's car.

"I got it Miley," Ashley said, rolling her eyes.

Miley ignored the gesture, closed the car door, and ran towards her house. She unlocked the front door, bypassed her parents and Nikki, and rushed up to her room. She quickly jumped into the shower, finishing in record time. She calmed down when she looked at the clock, realizing that she had more than enough time to get herself and Nikki ready.

Next door, Nick was also getting ready for dinner. He stepped out of the shower, running his hand through his wet hair. He pulled on his dark jeans along with a navy blue polo, fitted to show off his muscular frame. Looking in the mirror, he ruffled his hair. When he was satisfied with his appearance, he walked to his room bumping into Joe.

"Hey, you're dressed up."

Joe turned around, startled. "Oh… yeah." he said, shifting his eyes. "I'm taking Emily out to dinner."

"Why don't you guys come with Miley and me tonight." Nick suggested.

"No, that's ok." Joe quickly responded, "I promised Emily it would be just me and her tonight."

"Alright then," Nick replied, looking down at his watch. "I should get going, but have fun tonight."

"You too," Joe said, walking into his room.

Nick walked into his room, slipping on his shoes. He slid his wallet into his pocket, grabbing his keys and cell phone and headed next door. He stopped on her porch, smoothing out his clothes before ringing the doorbell.

"Hello Nick." Billy Ray said, welcoming him into the house.

"Hi Mr. Cyrus. Is Miley and Nikki ready?"

"Well Nikki gave Miley a hard time, so she's running a little late," he said, leading Nick into the living room. "Miley should be coming down soon so make yourself at home."

"Daddy!" Nikki cried, walking into the room holding Tish's hand.

"Hey sweetie," Nick cooed, picking her up. "Don't you look pretty."

"Happy birthday Nick," Tish said, smiling. "Miley is almost ready." Nick nodded, his attention on Nikki.

"Tish and I were just heading out, so have fun tonight."

"Thank you, you guys have fun too." Nick replied, putting Nikki on the ground. He watched as Billy Ray and Tish left, and sat down on the couch to wait for Miley.

She came down five minutes later, wearing a sleeveless dress that stopped right above her knee. The dark blue color, bringing out her eyes. Her hair was in perfect curls, falling all around her face. "You ready?"

Nick looked up, mesmerized by her beauty. "Ye.. Yeah." he stuttered.

"How ironic." Miley said laughing. "We match."

"Huh." Nick looked at his clothes, and then back at Miley. "I guess we do."

"So you ready to go?" She asked, helping Nikki into her jacket.

"I'm ready when you are." Nick said, getting up from the couch and heading to the front door. He stopped, waiting for Miley. She slipped on her heels and pulled on her coat, throwing her keys and phone into her purse before looking up, "I'm ready."

They made their way back over to Nick's driveway, heading towards his range rover. He buckled Nikki in her car seat while Miley climbed into the passenger seat.

-Nick's POV-

"Alright, so where are we having dinner?" I asked as I sat in the driver's seat, starting the engine. I glanced into the rear-view mirror making sure Nikki was still buckled in before turning back to Miley.

"I made reservations at a new restaurant. It's supposedly Hollywood's best kept secret."

"Ok," I chuckled. "Can I know where it is so that I can get to it?"

"Oh right," she said, turning a light pink. "It's on Canal St. It's a big white building, we shouldn't miss it."

I backed out of the driveway, heading west to Canal St. I focused on the road, occasionally glancing back at Nikki. "She's fine," I heard Miley say.

"I know," I replied, my eyes still on the road. "It's a habit I guess."

"Look, it's right over there." My eyes turned to where she was pointing becoming confused.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. My friend brought me here once." she said, unbuckling her belt as I pulled into the parking spot. "Remember, it's Hollywood's best kept secret."

"No wonder it's a secret. There's not even a sign." I said, stepping out of the car and heading to the back to take Nikki out. We made our way to the door before Miley stopped me.

"I left my purse in the car, can I have your keys?"

"I'll go get it for you." I offered.

"No it's ok. You go ahead and get us a table." she said, walking back to the car. "Plus, I don't want Nikki out in the cold."

"Alright then, I'll be inside." I waited a moment, making sure she got to the car before walking inside with Nikki. For a restaurant, it was strangely quiet.

-No one's POV-

"SURPRISE!" Nick heard as he walked into what Miley had told him was a restaurant. He turned crimson, embarrassed by the attention.

"Were you surprised?" he heard Miley ask behind him.

He quickly turned around to face her. "This was all your idea?"

She nodded her head, a scared look on her face. "You hate it don't you?"

"No, no. I was just shocked." he quickly said, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you."

"This is my way of saying sorry for everything I put you through and a way of saying thank you for everything you have done for both me and Nikki."

"Thank you." he said, releasing her from the hug. "This is by far the best birthday present ever."

Miley smiled at his complement, pleased that he liked it. She took hold of Nikki's hand away from Nick, letting him move around without the extra weight.

"So were you surprised?" Mrs. Jonas asked.

"Definitely." Nick smiled. "I can't believe you all lied to me."

"Hey, once again it was all on Miley." Joe said, raising his hands to show that he was innocent.

"Well how about we make a toast?" Miley suggested as a waitress walked by with champagne glasses. She stopped her, handing everyone a glass.

"No thank you, I'm fine." Cyndi politely declined when Miley offered her one.

"Come on Cyndi. Just one."

"I'm not much of a drinker." she said, trying to push the glass away.

"What are you pregnant?" Joe joked. "You were quite the drinker at your wedding."

Cyndi turned pale at Joe's word, quickly glancing at Kevin. He cleared his throat, taking her hand in his. "Well since everyone is here." he said, look at Cyndi who just nodded. "Mom, dad. We're going to have a baby."

"Well that is something we'll have to drink too." Mr. Jonas exclaimed, giving Kevin a pat on the back.

They all exchanged congratulations, taking turns hugging Cyndi and Kevin. Miley excused herself from the group, leaving Nikki with Denise, to check on the progress of the party. She was glad that most of her guests she had invited had showed up. Everyone and their mother's were at the party, helping Nick celebrate his birthday. Miley was making her way from one end of the hall to the other, when a hand stopped her.

-Miley's POV-

I turned around to see who had stopped me. "Oh it's just you."

"Well I'm glad that you are excited to see me," Billy Ray said sarcastically.

"You know that's not what I meant daddy."

"I know." he said, smiling. "It's getting late so the Jonas' and mom and I are going to be leaving. We're taking Nikki with us so you don't have to worry about her."

"Alright thanks dad." I said, giving him a hug. I made my way over to Emily, who was sitting at a table with Joe. "Hey," I said, sitting next to her. "Having fun?"

"Yeah, it's an awesome party Miles."

"Do you think Nick is having fun?" I asked, scanning the room for him.

"I'm sure he is."

I finally found him in the mass of people. I watched as he greeted everyone, stopping to talk for a minute or two. But it started to bother me when he would stop to talk to random girls who were throwing themselves at him. I tore my eyes away from him only to find Joe and Emily had left the table, leaving me by myself. I stood up, letting out a heavy sigh and walked over to the bar to get a drink. One drink turned into ten. Every time I saw him smile at a girl I drowned myself with another shot, falling deeper into a drunken stupor. He was suppose to be praising me tonight, not chatting it up with other girls.

-No one's POV-

"Miley?" Kevin called, trying to get her attention. But his attempts were pointless because she was way past gone two drinks ago. "Miley, what are you doing?"

She turned around, her eyes glazed. "Kevy!" she called obnoxiously.

"Miley are you drunk?" he asked with a stern face.

"Noooo." she dragged out, giggling innocently. She stood up, stumbling while doing so.

Kevin quickly caught her, helping her stand up. "You are drunk." He lead her over to a table, placing her gently into a seat.

"There you are." Cyndi said, walking up with Emily and Joe. "We've been looking all over for you Miley."

"Miley?" Emily questioned, worried about her.

"I think she's had one too many drinks." Kevin said.

"I'm peeerrflectly fiiine." Miley said, slurring her words. She stood up, trying to walk.

"I don't think so," Joe said, grabbing her arm.

"Let go…" she whined, resisting his grip. She twisted and turned, trying to break away from him. "Joe let go!"

"Miley, shhh.." Emily coaxed, trying to calm her down. "We don't want to make a scene."

But it was too late, Nick had spotted them and walked over to see what the problem was. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Joe answered, trying to get Miley to sit down in a chair. "She's just tired."

"No I'm not," Miley said, stumbling around.

"Miley? Are you drunk?" Nick asked, worrying about her.

"I'm fine Nicky poo." she cooed.

Nick scrunched his nose, disgusted by the smell of liquor on her breath. "I think it's time we take you home." he said, grabbing hold of her arms.

"We'll take her home," Emily offered. "You just stay and enjoy the party."

"No, it's ok. I'll take her home." Nick replied. "I wouldn't be able to enjoy anything knowing she's like this." he said, gesturing towards Miley.

"It's still early…" Miley whined. "I don't wanna go home yet."

"Come on Miles." Nick took hold of one of her arms while Joe took the other and helped her into the car. "Just make sure everything here is taken care of." Nick said, starting the engine.

"Alright, drive safe." Joe said, walking back inside.

Nick drove home, glancing back and forth from the road to Miley who had dozed off. He pulled up in her driveway and cut the engine. He walked to her side of the car, opening her door to help her out but she was in no condition to stand on her own two feet. She had woken up and was now rambling on about nothing, giggling like a little girl. Nick rolled his eyes, trying to get her out of the car. Becoming frustrated he swung her across his shoulder and walked towards her private entrance.

"You have a cute butt Nicholas Jonas," she commented and then started to giggle uncontrollably. He ignored her and kept walking. He sat her down, digging in her purse for her keys. Unlocking the door, he basically had to drag her inside the room. He sat her on the bed and went to turn on the lights.

"What were you thinking Miley," he asked as he helped her onto the bed, taking off her shoes for her. "You never drink, at least not this much."

In an instant, Miley grabbed him by the collar, pulling him on top of her and crashed her lips onto his. He quickly pulled away, startled by her actions. "Miley what are you doing?" he asked as he sat up on her bed.

She didn't answer him, but only scooted closer to him. She entangled her hands in his hair, trailing kisses down his neck. "I want you Nick," she whispered in his ear.

Her voice vibrated in his ear, sending chills down his spine. For a moment he was entranced by her, letting her continue. But he quickly snapped out of it when he felt her fumbling with the button of his pants. He grabbed her hands, pushing them away.

Tears filled her eyes as he rejected her. "Why don't you want me?" she cried, pain in her voice.

"I do want you Miley." he said, wiping her tears.

"Then take me," she said, pleading with her eyes. She reached for the zipper of her dress, slowly pulling it down.

It took all of Nick's self-control to stop her from undressing herself. "No Miley."

"You said you wanted me."

"I do," he said, looking into her eyes. "You don't know just how bad I do want you, but not like this." he said, gesturing to the condition she was in.

Tears were streaming down her face as she collapsed into his arms, crying into his chest. "All I want is you. You're the one I love. Why can't you see that?"

Nick held her in his arms, letting her cry. He traced circles on the small of her back, trying to calm her down. Pretty soon her crying stop and her breathing slowed down. He gently laid her down, pushing back her hair. "I love you too Miley, I never stopped." Nick laid next to her, watching her sleep and pretty soon falling asleep himself.

Miley awoke to a pulsing headache. She opened her eyes but quickly closed them, throwing her arm over her eyes to shield them from the sun. She quickly rolled over, feeling a body next to her. Slowly, she opened one eye to find Nick Jonas sleeping next to her. Her heart began beating as she tried to recall what happened last night. She peeked under the covers and breathed a sigh of relief when she found herself and him fully dressed.

He stirred in his sleep, stretching his arms before opening his eyes to find big blue eyes staring back at him. "Good morning," he said, sitting up. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," Miley said, scooting up to lean against the headboard. "How much did I drink last night?"

"I was hoping you could answer that question."

Miley blushed, closing her eyes. "I'm so embarrassed."

"It's ok, you weren't in the right mindset." Nick said, glancing at her.

"Nick, can I ask you something?" Miley whispered.

"Sure."

"I… We… we didn't… you know," Miley stuttered.

"No," Nick quickly answered.

Miley sighed in relief. "Good. I mean, no offense or anything."

"You don't remember anything from last night?" Nick asked.

Miley shook her head. "No. Why? Did I do something or say something last night?" she asked, worried that she had made a fool of herself. "If I did, I didn't mean it."

Nick's heart dropped. "No… nothing happened." he said, getting up from the bed. "I should go home." He headed towards the door, looking back at Miley one last time. "I hope you feel better."

* * *

I don't really have anything to comment on. So tell me what you think about this chapter instead!

**ANTI- NILLY : JUST SAY NO! Remember NILLYNESS SILLYNESS, it will never happen! --**** that's right Tiff. It's never going to happen!**

What's going on with the world today? Seriously guys… Nilly has got to be the worst couple ever! Where are all my Niley stories?


	19. Chapter 18

**So before I start off the chapter I have to share something that's been bothering me. It bugs me that everyone criticizes Miley way more than any other Disney star. I know it's been going on for awhile now, but it just started bugging me like crazy. I know not everyone likes her and that's great, you're entitled to your opinions and all but does it make you feel good about yourself when you put down a 15 year old girl? I'm guilty of going onto gossip sites to look up Miley and Jonas news and it bothers me that she gets more criticism than the jobros. Seriously, if you ever think about it. If Miley ever said anything the jobros said someone will probably be like "she's so stuck up" and this and that but when the jobros say it all you ever hear is "that's so sweet" or "I love their personality." It makes me mad… and that's probably why I like Miley better than the Jonas Brothers. But anyways… enough of my ranting.**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Nick got into his car, pulling out of the Cyrus's driveway just to drive less than two feet to pull into his own driveway. He got out of the car, making his way into the house. Closing the door behind him, he turned around only to see Joe standing there, waiting for him.

-Nick's POV-

"Hey," I mumbled, pushing pass him to the stairs.

"I'm guessing you stayed over at Miley's last night."

"Yeah," I said without looking at him, continuing to my room. I pushed open my door, pulling off my polo and letting it fall the floor. Throwing my keys onto my desk, I took my phone and wallet out of my pockets and placed them next to it. I released a heavy sigh, collapsing on my bed.

"Is she ok?" Joe asked, leaning against the frame of my door.

"She's fine." I answered, still staring at my ceiling. "Suffering from a hang over."

"Did something happen?" he asked, looking me up and down.

I sighed again, sitting up against my headboard. "She doesn't remember what happened last night."

Joe's eyes became as big as saucers. "So… something did happen."

"No," I quickly said, shaking my head violently. "We didn't do that."

"Oh ok," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. He walked into the room, sitting on the end of my bed. "So what did happen then? Since you seem so worked up about her not remembering last night."

"She told me she loved me and I believed her," I told him. "But I should have known better, she was just drunk and rambling."

"I wouldn't say that. People let their true feelings out when they are drunk Nick." I watched as he got up from the bed and walked towards the door. He turned around one last time, looking at me. "Just think about that and decide what you want to believe."

If he thought that what he said would help me, he was wrong. The last thing I wanted to do was to figure out my relationship with Miley. I let out a groan, rolling onto my side and pulled the covers over my head. All I wanted to do was forget last night just like Miley was lucky enough to do.

-No one's POV-

Miley had gotten around to changing out of her dress and into sweats and a t-shirt after Nick left that morning. But rather than starting her day, she crawled back into bed wishing her migraine would go away. She laid under the covers, picking at her brain for some sort of clue as to what had happened last night. But the most she remembered was watching Nick talk to numerous amounts of girls last night, which only caused her head to hurt even more. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shut out everything when her phone started to ring. She pushed the covers away, getting out of bed and walked towards her dresser. She dug around in her purse, looking for the source of the persistent ringing.

"Hello?" she answered, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hey, had fun last night?" he chuckled.

"Very funny Joe." Miley said, heading back to her bed. "Did you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to check up on you. Make sure you were ok."

"Oh," Miley said, pulling the covers back over her head. "I'm actually glad you called. Maybe you can help me with something."

"I'll try."

"What happened last night?" Miley asked him.

"What do you mean what happened last night?" Joe asked back.

"I mean, I don't remember anything." Miley said, rubbing her temples. "Maybe you can help me piece it together."

"All I know is, we left you for ten minutes and in that time span you managed to get yourself wasted." he said, laughing. "I think that is quite an accomplishment Miles."

"Tell me I didn't embarrass myself?"

"No you didn't, but I was hoping you would because I could have used the entertainment."

"Joe!" Miley said loudly, causing her migraine to become even worse. "You're not helping."

"Sorry," he apologized, realizing Miley's situation. "The only thing I can tell you is Nick took you home as soon as we found you. Whatever happened after that is between you and him."

"Great…"

"Look Miles, I do know one other thing."

Miley opened her eyes, hopeful for some answers. "What is it?"

"Nick said you told him you loved him."

Miley froze at what Joe had said. It was like the trigger that she needed to bring her memory back. She remembered Kevin finding her at the bar and how obnoxious she had been. She remembered Joe grabbing her and in turn she tried to fight him off, catching Nick's attention. She remembered Joe and Nick helping her into the car and falling asleep. She remembered Nick carrying her to her door and the comment, "you have a cute butt Nicholas Jonas" repeated itself in her mind as she smacked her forehead. She quickly realized it only got worse after that one sentence. She cringed as she remembered the way she threw herself at him at how emotional she had gotten. But the worse part of it was Joe was right, she had told him she loved him.

"Miley?" Joe called when she didn't respond. "You still there?"

"Yeah" she answered, barely audible. "I have to go," she told him, hanging up without waiting for a response.

Miley placed her phone on her bedside table, rubbing her aching head. It seemed as if her migraine had only gotten worse since she had woken up. "What was I thinking," she said out loud, scolding herself for being irresponsible last night. "I'm so stupid!" she said, repeatedly smacking herself on the forehead.

She let out a heavy sigh, turning onto her stomach and burying her head into her pillow. She let out what would have been an ear piercing scream if it wasn't absorbed by the pillow. She rolled onto her back, starring up at the ceiling. "He must think I'm the worst person in the world. I told him I loved him and I didn't even realize it." She reached for her phone, dialing the number of the one person she needed to talk to.

-Nick's POV-

I stirred awake at the sound of my phone vibrating on my desk. I grumbled, grabbing my phone. Looking at the caller ID, I hesitated before pressing the answer button.

"Hello?" I answered, my voice slightly distorted from the sleep.

"Nick?" Miley questioned, cautiously. "Did I wake you?"

"No it's ok. I needed to get up anyways." Nick yawned, sitting up in bed. "Did you need something?"

"Um kinda. I wanted to talk to you."

"Ok." I responded, confused.

"Can you meet me at the park in thirty minutes?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't say no.

I looked down at my watch, then turned my attention back to my phone. "I'll see you in thirty minutes," I answered, giving in to her.

"Ok bye," she said, hanging up the phone.

I placed my phone back on my desk, swinging my feet onto the ground. Getting out of bed, I stumbled over to my closet pulling out a clean t-shirt. I pulled it over my head, slipping my van's onto my feet and grabbed my wallet and phone. I walked downstairs, stopping in the kitchen.

"Hey mom," I called, catching her attention. "I'm gonna step out for a bit."

"Alright sweetie, call if you're going to be out late." she said, not bothering to look up from her work.

"Alright mom." I turned around heading towards the door. Stepping outside, I stopped on the porch, looking up at her window. I took a deep breath and proceeded towards the park.

-No one's POV-

"Mom, dad!" Miley called out. "I'm heading out. Can you keep and eye on Nikki for me?"

"Sure thing!" she heard her dad yell back.

"Thanks! I'm leaving." She pulled on her jacket and headed off towards the park. She walked as slowly as she could, trying to prolong the meeting. Taking a deep breath, she walked the last block to the park. She saw him sitting on the bench, her back towards her.

"Hey," she said softly, walking up to him.

He turned around, standing up as she walked around the bench. "Hey."

"Thanks for meeting me." she said sitting down, gesturing for him to do the same.

"What did you want to meet for anyways?"

"Well actually," she started, her gaze falling onto the ground. "I wanted to talk to you about last night."

Nick turned his own gaze to the ground, not wanting to look at Miley. "I told you already, nothing happened last night."

"You're lying to me," Miley said, still looking at the ground. "I remember." she said so low Nick could barely hear her.

"Look don't worry about it Miles," Nick said, looking at her. "I understand that you did things and said things last night that you most likely regret now, but its ok, you weren't exactly yourself last night."

Miley looked away from him, taking a deep breath. "What if I don't regret what I said last night?"

"Wait. What?" Nick asked, not believing what he had just heard.

"What if I do love you?" Miley said, still not looking at him.

He sat on the bench, not saying a word. Miley felt scared. She didn't know if he was mad or happy or just plain shocked and was starting to regret telling him. She stood up, still avoiding him. "I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have said anything." She quickly turned around and started to walk away when he grabbed her wrist. Miley stopped where she was but didn't turn around.

Nick stood up, and walked in front of her. He looked at her, her hair shielding her face, and placed both hands on her shoulders. "For once, can you just stop running?" He took his right hand, tilting her chin up and pushed her hair back. "Because I love you too." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling a shocked Miley towards him and kissed her with all the passion he had held inside of him for the past four years.

* * *

**NILEY IS HERE! Finally… I know it took me awhile. But hey, it was worth the wait wasn't it? The only thing is… where does the story go from here? Review and give me ideas!**

**Sorry again about my random ranting at the beginning… it was just really bothering me. I had to get it off of my chest.**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18**

Nick slipped on his dark washed jeans and finished buttoning up his shirt. He rolled up his sleeves, checking his reflection in the mirror. Satisfied, he grabbed his wallet and phone, slipping them into his pockets before picking up his keys and heading downstairs. Tonight was his "first date" with Miley and he was more than nervous. He wanted everything to be perfect.

"Looking spiffy there little bro," Joe called out as Nick walked into the living room. "Trying to impress Miley?"

Nick rolled his eyes, stopping by the hallway closet to slip on his shoes. He looked in the mirror one last time, making sure he was presentable and walked next door. Approaching the too familiar front door, the butterflies in his stomach seemed to be getting more active making him feel like he was 15 again.

_Nick gradually walked up to the big brown oak wood double doors, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. He stood there fidgetting, waiting for someone to answer the door, secretly hoping it was not Mr. Cyrus. As much time as he had spent over at this house, Mr. Cyrus still scared him and it was only worst now that he was seeing his daughter. _

_The door slowly opened, revealing a very intimidating Billy Ray. Nick gulped, looking his girlfriend's father in the eyes. "Hi Mr. Cyrus," Nick said, his voice cracking. "Is Miley ready?"_

_Billy Ray stood silent for a moment, looking at the curly haired boy up and down. He could see the fear in his eyes and couldn't help but laugh. "Come on in Nick," Billy Ray said, patting Nick on the back. "She should be down soon."_

_Nick walked into the house, stopping in the entryway. He stood there awkwardly, not sure of what to say. He shifted on his feet, starring at the ground. _

_Billy Ray chuckled at the sight of the boy seeing how nervous he was. He thought he could have some fun with him. "So Nick, where are you taking my daughter tonight?"_

_Nick looked up. "Well sir, my brothers and I were just planning on going out to eat."_

_He nodded, trying to hold back his laughter. "I'll just tell you this once. If you try anything on my baby girl I will hunt you down."_

_Nick's eyes got big. "N… no sss… sir" he stuttered, too scared to say a complete sentence._

_Billy Ray burst out into a fit of laughter, receiving confused looks by the little boy. "I'm just pulling your leg boy. I trust you." he said, assuring Nick who was still shaken up._

_At that moment, Miley made her way down the stairs. "Daddy what are you doing?"_

"_Nothing honey," Billy Ray quickly answered his daughter, walking into the living room. "You kids have fun."_

"_Sorry about him. He likes to give boys a hard time." Miley said, giving Nick a warm smile. "You ready to go?"_

"_Uh yeah," Nick said, regaining his composure._

Nick stopped on the porch, ringing the doorbell. Immediately, the door swung open. "Hey Nick," Noah said, walking back into the living room without waiting for Nick to come inside.

"Daddy!" Nikki exclaimed, running at him.

Nick smiled, bending down to catch her. "Hey sweetie," he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. He made his way inside, closing the door behind him and walked into the living room.

"Mommy says I can't come with you guys tonight," Nikki pouted.

"Yeah, she was bothering Miley all day. You should have seen how annoyed Miley was getting." Noah said, sitting on the couch watching TV.

Nick turned back to his daughter, trying not to give into her puppy dog face. But it was the same face that Miley used to get her way and Nikki had that same effect on him. He couldn't say no to her.

"Don't even think about it," Miley interrupted, walking into the living room. She looked radiant in a cream shirt with gold sequins that made her glow. She walked over to Nick and Nikki, taking her daughter from him. "Mommy already told you no."

"But mom…" Nikki whined.

"But nothing," Miley answered, setting her down on the couch. "Now you're going to stay home with Aunt Noah and be a good girl. Aren't you?"

"Yes mommy," Nikki replied, clearly disappointed that she couldn't tag along with her parents.

"Aw come on Miley. Look at her face." Nick said, trying to convince her to let the toddler come along.

"No Nick. She has to learn she can't get everything she wants," she replied. Bending down, she gave Nikki a kiss before turning to Nick, "you ready?"

Nick gave Nikki one last look, feeling sorry for his daughter. "Yeah. Let's go."

"Alright Noah, call me if you need anything. Nikki be good and don't cause trouble. It's bedtime at 8:30, no later ok?"

"I got it Miley. It's not the first time I've babysat Nikki and mom and dad are going to be home soon anyways." Noah replied.

"Alright then," Miley said, turning to face Nick. "I guess I'm ready to go then."

They each gave Nikki another kiss before heading out to the car.

"You know, we could have brought her," Nick said, buckling his seat belt.

"And it's people like you that are spoiling her," Miley replied.

"I know but she's just so cute and that pout!" Nick exclaimed. "How can you say no to that face?"

"I guess it doesn't have that effect on me." Miley laughed. "So where are we going anyways?"

"It's a surprise," Nick smirked, glancing over to Miley who pouted. "Come on Miles, that's not fair! No wonder Nikki is so good at making that face."

"Fine…" Miley whined, crossing her arms over her chest for dramatic effect. "But just to remind you. I don't like surprises."

"Oh I know," Nick said, laughing. "But I know that you'll love this place." He continued driving, avoiding looking at Miley because he knew he would ruin the surprise with just one look from her. He broke out into a grin when he heard her gasp as he pulled into a parking spot.

"In-n-Out Burger?" Miley asked, looking over at Nick. "You remember?"

"Of course I do," he smiled, getting out of the car. "This was where we had our first date seven years ago."

"_In-n-Out Burger? Aww Nicky, it's my favorite place to eat." Miley said as Nick opened the door for her to step out of the car._

"_We know," Kevin and Joe said simultaneously, causing Nick to blush._

_Miley laughed, lacing her fingers through Nick's. They walked inside, sitting in a booth in a back corner away from the crowd while Kevin and Joe went to order. They sat shoulder to shoulder, talking about nothing in particular until the guys came up to the table._

"_You guys seem comfy." Joe smirked, eyeing the two teens._

_Miley blushed while Nick just glared at his brother for embarrassing him. They ate, having small talk while enjoying their meal. After dinner Kevin dropped Nick and Miley off at the park close to their houses, giving them some alone time. She took off running towards the slide, Nick close behind her. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling the both of them down to the ground, laughing. They ran around the playground, playing chase. _

_Miley sat down on the swing, trying to catch her breath from all of the running. Nick walked up behind her, gently pushing her. "Did you have fun tonight?" he asked her._

_She looked up at him, smiling. "Tonight was perfect."_

_Nick placed his hands over hers, pulling her backwards. He leaned in, watching as she closed her eyes, before he let her go._

_Miley opened her eyes, surprised by the gush of wind. "Nicholas Jerry Jonas!" She slammed her heels into the ground, stopping the swing abruptly. Turning around she placed her hands on her hips, pouting. "You are such a tease."_

_Nick laughed, stepping closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her, leaning in for their first kiss as boyfriend and girlfriend. He could feel her warm breath on his skin, he leaned in closer about to close the distance when his phone started vibrating. They immediately shot up, Miley turning red as a tomato as Nick groaned, pulling his cell phone out._

"_Hello" he barked into the phone, irritated by his brother's timing._

"_Hey Nick, mom wants you home. She says its getting late." Kevin informed him. _

"_I'm coming," Nick said, snapping his phone shut. He gave Miley an apologetic look. "We have to go home."_

"_Yeah, it is getting late." Miley said. She brushed the leaves off of her, walking over to Nick and grabbing his hand before taking off running down the street, dragging him behind her._

They finished their meal, dumping the trash into the garbage bin before walking back out to the car. Nick opened Miley's door, helping her into the car before getting in on his side.

"So where to now?" Miley asked Nick.

"I don't really know. I didn't plan past dinner." Nick laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "You can tell I put a lot of thought into this huh?"

"It's ok," Miley said as she took one of his hands in hers, playing with it. "I guess we can go home then."

Nick didn't want the night to end yet, but he turned out onto the road, heading back home. He pulled up into his driveway, cutting of the engine and getting out of the car. Walking over to the passenger side, he helped Miley out of the car before walking her back to her house. They stopped at the front door, not sure what to do.

Miley dug around in her purse for her keys, pulling them out from the bottom of the bag. She unlocked the door, opening it before turning back to face Nick. "Do you want to come in?" she asked him.

"Um… yeah… sure." Nick answered slowly, trying not to sound too eager.

She pushed the door open farther, walking in. Nick closed the door, locking it behind him before following Miley. She walked around the dark house, looking into the living room. "Well it seems like everyone went to sleep," she whispered.

"Maybe I should go then?" Nick said, taking a step towards the door.

"No," Miley cried, grabbing his arm. "I mean…" she said blushing. "We can hang out in my room. Maybe watch a movie or something."

Nick smiled to himself. "Ok, if you're sure."

"It's fine," she reassured him, taking his hand in hers and leading him towards her section of the house. She pushed open her door, turning on the lights. "Make yourself at home. I'm just going to change into something more comfortable."

Nick walked around her room, waiting for her to finish changing. He scanned her room before his eyes fell on the bathroom door. Miley had accidentally left it slightly open and he could see a part of her reflection in the mirror. He tried not to stare as he remembered the night of his birthday and what she had said to him. He quickly turned away when he heard the door creak slightly, turning red.

"Did you pick out a movie?" she asked, coming out of the bathroom in sweats and a tank top. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had washed all the make up off of her face.

"Uh yeah," Nick mumbled as he randomly pulled a DVD.

"The Notebook?" Miley asked. "You hated that movie."

"Oh uh," he panicked, trying to come up with an excuse. "I only hated it because you wanted to watch it every time we had a movie night."

"Well it was a good movie," she argued, poking his arm. She took the disc from him, popping it into the DVD player before crawling onto her bed.

Nick stood awkwardly, not sure where to sit. She looked up at him as soon as she got into a comfortable position. "You gonna sit down?" she asked, pulling back the covers for him.

"Uh yeah. I just wanted to wait until you were comfortable." he said as he made his way over to her bed, sitting down next to her. He shifted ever which way, trying to get cozy. He finally gave up, unbuttoning his shirt to give him more freedom.

"Whoa there tiger. We're just watching a movie."

Nick froze, his finger on his button. "Miles, I wasn't thinking of that. I mean I was just trying to get comfortable."

She watched him defend himself, fighting back her laughter. "Chill Nick. I was just kidding. Someone's mind is in the gutter." she joked.

"Very funny," Nick said, taking his shirt off and throwing it across the room, leaving him in his muscle shirt.

They watched the movie, Miley slowly getting relaxed enough to snuggle up to Nick. She rested her head on his chest, falling asleep before the movie was even over.

Nick felt her breathing slow down and tried to slowly get out of bed without waking her up. But as soon as he moved an inch, she tightened her hold on him, trapping him. He sighed, accepting defeat and reached for the remote to turn off the TV. He scooted down on the bed, laying on his back. Looping his arms around her, he pulled her closer to him.

Laying there for some time, he couldn't help but think this was how life should be. He was laying next to the girl he loved and their daughter was just across the hall, safely sleeping in her own bed.

* * *

**THE END!**

**I mean… until I write the sequel. Hahaha**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the story. It made me happy! I never thought I would get as much feedback as I have. I mean… over 200 reviews! I wasn't even expecting anyone to read it in the first place.**

**Thank you to my fanfiction family! I'm so glad we all bonded over our obsession of Miley and the JoBros! I can only tell we'll have many more fun conversations coming up.**

**But anyways… so the sequel. Tell me what you want to happen!**

**Also, if you want to read another good story. Check out "How To Save A Life" written by ttran59 and amy4156. You can find the story on ttran59's page. It's a good story… I can assure you of that!**

**Thanks and much love. Michelle.**


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